The war being perpetrated by the Russian government in Ukraine is possible because the European Union has been dependent on oil, fossil gas and coal imported from Russia. Greenpeace demands urgent measures from the EU and the Polish government to end fossil fuel imports from Russia and accelerate the clean energy transition. Early Friday morning, Greenpeace activists from Poland painted the slogan „PEACE NOT OIL” on the side of the Andromeda – tanker transporting oil from Russia to Poland.
– For almost a month now, the Russian army has been shelling Ukrainian towns and villages, killing adults and children. This war is co-financed by fossil fuel trading. Russian oil, fossil gas and coal continue to flow to Poland and the European Union. It’s scandalous that every day European countries send hundreds of millions of euros to Russia providing funds to Putin to continue the war – said Katarzyna Bilewska, Greenpeace Poland spokesperson
Greenpeace Poland protest takes place during the European Council, at which heads of states with a special attendance of US president Joe Biden, are discussing measures against Russian military aggression in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war, the European Union countries have already spent over 19 billion EUR on the import of oil, fossil gas and coal from Russia.
– EU Member States must end imports of Russian oil, fossil gas and coal. But the answer to our fossil fuels addiction is not to find another dealer but to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. We need to swiftly move away from all fossil fuels. Each day of delay is another day when the EU continues bankrolling Putin and his war. Ending our reliance on fossil fuels is a matter of our security. It’s time to unleash the full potential of renewables and energy efficiency measures – adds Joanna Flisowska, head of the climate and energy unit at Greenpeace Poland.
Greenpeace calls for an end to imports of fossil fuels from Russia and a transformation towards a climate-neutral economy. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, similar protests have been carried out by activists from Greenpeace in Germany, France, Greece, Great Britain, Italy and Hungary.