Tighten and implement sanctions on Russian oil and gas – this is what a joint letter by 65 NGOs is calling for from governments attending a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine starting today in Switzerland.

The brutal war in Ukraine is only made possible by the Kremlin’s huge revenues from oil and gas, largely paid for by Ukraine’s allies. Ending this funding would help to end the war, eliminate the tyranny of the oil dictators and protect the climate. This is why NGOs are calling for five measures to be implemented as soon as possible.

At present, the measures already taken in response to the Russian oil embargo are being widely circumvented, therefore, compliance with them must be properly monitored and violators severely punished.

Sanctions should be extended to Russian LNG exports, starting with a ban on transhipment in EU ports.

Pressure should be stepped up on states where shadow tankers are registered to curb their use (these are effectively uninsured and unaccountable old, highly accident-prone tankers operating under illegal or dubious arrangements with opaque ownership).

An effective international mechanism to monitor and enforce compliance with energy sanctions should be established.

Ukraine should be supported to replace the energy infrastructure destroyed by Russian aggression with an environmentally friendly energy system based on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

András Lukács, president of Clean Air Action Group, said: “Every litre of petrol or diesel we burn in our vehicles helps the Russian war machine to operate. Therefore, if we want peace as soon as possible, we should prefer walking, cycling and public transport to driving, and rail to flying. It is also important to avoid buying goods made from petroleum, especially plastic products.”

Ending the war would not only save many lives and avoid a lot of suffering, but it would also help prevent the climate catastrophe. The carbon emissions from direct warfare, forest fires, air diversions, forced relocations, and leaks from military attacks on gas, oil and coal infrastructure, as well as future reconstruction, over the past two years are greater than the individual emissions of 175 countries in the world in a single year.”