From peace-washing to petrostates, we break down the key questions in the debate on sanctioning the Russian fossil fuel industry

The document examines the role of Russian fossil fuel exports in funding the war in Ukraine and critiques the reluctance of European governments to implement full embargoes. It highlights the discrepancy between corporate rhetoric and continued business operations in Russia, termed 'peace-washing', and argues against replacing Russian imports with other fossil fuel sources due to human rights concerns and climate commitments. Instead, it promotes a transition to renewables, citing that global electricity needs could be met by renewables by 2035.

• Russia is the world's largest oil exporter; prior to the war, 60% of its oil was exported to Europe and 20% to China. In 2021, Russia provided 45% of Europe's gas and one-third of its oil.
• While the US has implemented a full embargo on Russian oil, gas, and coal, the EU has only introduced an embargo on coal and a partial embargo on oil that does not take effect until early 2023. Consequently, importing Russian oil into the EU and UK remains legal until at least December 2022.
• Energy companies are engaging in 'peace-washing', where they publicly condemn the invasion of Ukraine while continuing operations in Russia. For example, Total expressed solidarity with Ukraine but refused to withdraw from Russian LNG projects without EU sanctions, and Wintershall piped €14 billion of Russian gas across Germany in the first half of 2022.
• Replacing Russian fossil fuels with imports from countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia is discouraged due to their poor human rights records and the risk of creating new energy dependencies. Furthermore, investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure contradicts international climate commitments.
• According to Carbon Tracker, the world could transition to renewables for all electricity needs by 2035 and for all energy needs by 2050, driven by the falling costs of wind and solar energy.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). From peace-washing to petrostates, we break down the key questions in the debate on sanctioning the Russian fossil fuel industry. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/ukraine-putin-gas-and-sanctions-faqs/

Chicago

Global Witness. From peace-washing to petrostates, we break down the key questions in the debate on sanctioning the Russian fossil fuel industry. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/ukraine-putin-gas-and-sanctions-faqs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=From peace-washing to petrostates, we break down the key questions in the debate on sanctioning the Russian fossil fuel industry |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/ukraine-putin-gas-and-sanctions-faqs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitnessndfrom, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{From peace-washing to petrostates, we break down the key questions in the debate on sanctioning the Russian fossil fuel industry}}, institution = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/ukraine-putin-gas-and-sanctions-faqs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }