The UK government has been warned Britons could be “inadvertently funding” the war in Ukraine by filling up their cars and paying their gas bills amid concerns fossil fuel profits could be driving Russian military action.
The Liberal Democrats urged ministers to go a step further in their policy against Russian energy sources as the conflict in eastern Europe - which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 1.5 million to flee - waged on.
A leading Ukrainian scientists also said oil and gas was behind what she called a “fossil fuel war” as it helped to strengthen Russia’s military.
The government said on Tuesday it would phase out Russian oil by the end of the year in light of the invasion. It stopped short on doing the same with Russian gas but instead said ministers were “exploring options” to reduce its percentage in UK supply.
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, urged the government to take stronger action amid the war.
“The Conservatives are once again moving far too slowly to punish Putin for his illegal invasion of Ukraine. It’s not good enough to only ban Russian oil, there must be a ban on Russian gas immediately too,” he said.
The Lib Dem leader added: “People from Poland to the UK are inadvertently funding Putin’s war when they fill up their car or pay their bill.”
Svitlana Krakovska, a Ukrainian scientist involved in the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told The Guardian she had noticed parallels between the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine - saying both were being driven by fossil fuels.
“Burning oil, gas and coal is causing warming and impacts we need to adapt to. And Russia sells these resources and uses the money to buy weapons. Other countries are dependent upon these fossil fuels, they don’t make themselves free of them,” she said.
“This is a fossil fuel war. It’s clear we cannot continue to live this way, it will destroy our civilisation.”
Announcing the phase-out of Russian oil by the end of 2022, the UK government said the import of Russian oil made up 17 per cent of its government revenue through taxation. “This move steps up the international pressure on Russia’s economy,” it said.
Carla Denyer from the Green Party said action against Russian fossil fuels - such as the UK phasing out Russian oil and the European Union vowing to slash dependency on Russian gas - went “to the heart of this deadly invasion” of Ukraine. “Fossil fuel money is blood money as it is funding Putin’s brutal assault on Ukraine,” she said.
The UK government estimates Russian oil imports make up 8 per cent of total UK demand, while Russian gas imports account for less than 4 per cent of British supply.
Its statistics also estimate Russian oil imports made up 18 per cent of the UK’s demand for diesel in 2020 - but 0 per cent for petrol.
A government spokesperson said the UK was “not dependent” on natural gas from Russia but was “exploring options” to stop importing it all together.
“The prime minister confirmed that the government will set out an energy strategy to set out the UK’s long-term plans for greater energy security, including both renewable and domestic oil and gas supplies,” they said.
