The speaker of the ICUV was Victoria Voytsitska, Energy Advocacy Director, and the discussion was joined by Olga Balytska, Energy expert. Among the other participants was Olga Babiy, a Commissioner of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission 2019-2024 (NEURC), who contributed her expert opinion on the issues discussed.

Among the main topics were the implementation of a war tax on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), discussion of Russian gas supplies under the guise of Azerbaijani gas, and new solutions for implementing a system of gas origin accounting in Europe. 

“We have analyzed the key component that basically feeds the Russian war machine — the energy sector,” emphasized Viktoriya Voytsitska, highlighting that energy resources are the main source of funding for Russia’s war. She added that Europe, while providing assistance to Ukraine, continues to support the aggressor by purchasing Russian LNG.

Olha Balytska stressed the importance of revising customs tariffs on the import of Russian LNG: “During the third year of war, the input duty on Russian LNG is 0%, which means that Russia is still importing LNG as the other countries of the world, as other countries, which are enjoying most favorable nations status.” She noted that the introduction of tariffs would be an effective mechanism for economic pressure, allowing Europe to reduce its dependence on Russian energy resources while simultaneously supporting Ukraine.