Gina Sonder of Kimball Road, Arlington, submitted this letter, which she had sent to U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
European countries must stop importing Russian energy, immediately. A gradual reduction in reliance on Russian oil and gas will not be enough to stop Putin’s war on Ukraine.
In terms of both climate science and foreign policy, this is a deal with the devil.
Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are among the largest European importers of Russian oil and gas. They are effectively financing Putin’s military machine and the invasion of Ukraine. Europe is partly responsible for prolonging death and destruction in Eastern Europe, even as they send military supplies and humanitarian aid to their neighbors.
The U.S. policy of economic sanctions on the Russian Federation must now extend to pressuring the U.S.’s European allies to sacrifice some of its current economic prosperity derived from Russian fossil-fuel imports in order limit the power of Putin’s war machine.
To halt the atrocities being suffered by the civilian population in Ukraine, the U.S. must make clear to their allies that trading with Russia will, from this point forward, have immediate negative financial consequences on the trade relations they enjoy with the U.S.
The U.S. president, State Department, National Security Council and other U.S. leaders must stipulate that for every dollar of energy that nations in the western alliance buy from Russia, the U.S. will subtract the equivalent dollar amount of US aid/support that it sends to those nations.
This policy has both a short- and long-term goal of reducing both the world’s continued reliance on fossil fuels in a warming world and the conquest of land for the purpose of extracting the resources of other sovereign peoples.
The millions of dollars currently flowing to Russia in return for oil and gas supplies must stop. Tell Europe to turn of the tap. Period.
This letter was published Monday, April 4, 2022.
Those of us who object to the sale of Russia’s fossil fuels and are willing to shoulder the temporary economic impact that such an embargo would have on the Western Alliance, must send our message to the leaders of Europe and NATO:
[u]Take away Putin’s ability to purchase more equipment and personnel to wage war, immediately.[/u] Without delay! Not in three… or… four months! Stop giving him the ability to funnel millions of dollars in oil and gas revenue to the Russian military’s destruction of Ukraine, as of now. European nations have clear evidence that this is blood money. Trading with Russia makes these nations complicit in the commission of war crimes.
ARE THERE ANY PARENTS in the halls of government?? As a child-rearing strategy for generations, parents would stop giving their children their weekly allowance when they wanted their off-springs’ behavior to change.
Oil & gas revenue are fueling Russia’s attacks in Ukraine, known as a country rich in coal and agricultural production which would be a prize to any conqueror.
Currently, the Western alliance is fueling the militarization of the NATO States in the region to “counter” this incursion.
The idea that sending more arms, more personnel, and more money for military purposes to the region as the solution to stave off a bully is foolhardy.
Military build-up will only result in more death and destruction on both sides of this conflict.
This denial of any revenue to the Putin regime from the US and its allies should have been taken weeks ago.
Take away his toys.
Take away his allowance.
Unless and until he behaves.