To the Prime Minister of the 

United Kingdom  

Keir Starmer  

To the Secretary of State for Foreign, 

Commonwealth and Development Affairs  

David Lammy  

To the Secretary of State for 

Energy Security and Net Zero  

Ed Miliband  

 

Appeal to the UK Government on the Imposition of Sanctions on the Transportation and Insurance of Russian Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)  

We sincerely thank the United Kingdom for its continued and unwavering support in Ukraine’s fight for freedom. The UK has been a reliable partner to Ukraine across humanitarian, economic, military, and political spheres. We hope this support will be further strengthened with actions aimed at weakening Russia’s economy and cutting off the financial flows that sustain its military efforts.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia has amassed over £620 billion in revenue from fossil fuel exports, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Kremlin’s ambition is to expand Russia’s share of the global LNG market from the current 8% to 20% by 2030. This potential for significant expansion also threatens Europe’s energy independence.

We are especially concerned about the increasing volume of Russian LNG exports to Europe, where LNG infrastructure should be used to diversify gas imports and provide market access for alternative suppliers. Unfortunately, unrestricted access to this infrastructure and related services continues, sometimes with help coming from within the UK funneling profits into the Kremlin’s war budget.

We welcome the UK government’s ban on importing Russian LNG. However, British companies are still transporting Russian LNG to third countries, including the EU. Additionally, there is currently no ban on insuring LNG tankers involved in Russian trade, and it is essential that the UK formally and legally create such a ban now

Russian LNG worth $8 billion annually is estimated to be transported from the Arctic on 15 ice-class LNG carriers, primarily to European ports. Six of these tankers are managed and operated by Seapeak Maritime, based in Glasgow, and three have marine risk insurance provided by British insurers.

Russia is now expanding the production and export of LNG from Arctic gas fields on the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas, which contain the world’s largest gas reserves. Suppose Russia succeeds in building new gas infrastructure in the Arctic and further expanding its exports. In that case, this will have dire consequences, increasing  the existing Kremlin’s leverage over energy markets, undermining Europe’s decarbonisation efforts, and exacerbating the climate crisis.

The UK has strong grounds to cease supporting Russia’s efforts to sustain and expand its economic activities in the Arctic by providing insurance and maritime services to LNG tankers and other vessels navigating the Northern Sea Route.

We urge the UK government to take action to halt this harmful practice, particularly by prohibiting British companies from providing P&I insurance and maritime services to tankers used to transport Russian LNG from the Arctic.

We urge that this issue be decisively addressed in the next round of sanctions against Russia. We believe that the UK government can take a leading role in G-7 negotiations on collective measures against Russian LNG exports.

Sincerely, 

Civil society organisations in Ukraine:

  1. Razom We Stand 
  2. B4Ukraine
  3. NGO Ekoltava 
  4. NGO Zero Waste Society
  5. NGO Energy Agency “Alternative”
  6. NGO Fund RcErBs
  7. ICO Environment – People – Law (EPL)
  8. NGO “DYC “DOBRO”
  9. Energy Transition Coalition
  10. Friday for Future Ukraine
  11. NGO Plato
  12. DiXi Group NGO
  13. Centre for Economic Strategy
  14. Environmental Humanitarian Association «Green World»
  15. NGO Environmental Club Eremurus
  16. NGO Center for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”
  17. NGO City of the Sun
  18. Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting
  19. National Ecological Centre of Ukraine
  20. NGO “Kharkiv Anticorruption Center” 
  21. NGO SaveDnipro
  22. Greenpeace Ukraine