🧵 [1] JUST OUT: The 2nd report I’ve coauthored with the recently-formed International Working Group on Russia Sanctions, coordinated by @FSIStanford@McFaul outlining urgent comprehensive energy embargoes & sanctions on Putin’s regime.
[3] For our second report, we have focused on a comprehensive set of “smart embargoes”, sanctions, and policy measures to rapidly limit the ability of the #Kremlin to raise further state revenues via energy sales abroad to the greatest extent possible.
[4] 🇺🇸🇪🇺🇺🇦 Given the significant role oil & gas revenues play in funding #Putin’s horrific war machine used against Ukraine, it is vital that the international community take steps to stop this flow of money NOW‼️
[5] Some highlights of urgent Russia energy sanctions measures suggested to be taken in this energy sanctions-focused Working Group report, include:
[6] First & foremost Working Group endorses EU announcement that it will impose a complete import ban on all Russian oil, calling for “smart embargoes” to immediately end oil imports & graduated embargo on gas imports, as well as policies to make EU independent of Russian energy.
[7] For oil, need a “smart embargo” ending oil & oil product imports from #Russia to greatest extent possible, as quickly as possible. For any interim sales en route to zero, import tariffs or escrow mechanisms should be set up to limit #Kremlin revenues immediately.
[8] To limit ability of #Kremlin to circumvent #embargo & measures of any temporary controlled sales regime, we call for tech-calibrated sanctions on entities providing insurance & technical services to #Russian vessels, including tethering & ship-to-ship transfer support firms.
[9] Oil #technology#sanctions should also be expanded beyond the current scope of shale, deep-water offshore & #Arctic sanctions to cover all oil-field services and technologies across the Russian Federation.
[10] This measure also calls for sanctions against any remaining EU or US national that remains working in senior executive positions within the Russian oil & gas sector - a sanction aimed at ending Kremlin’s strategic corruption of western officials (e.g. stop #Schröderization).
[11] The Group highlights national security threat of Russian state owned enterprises still having partial or full ownership stakes in critical EU energy infrastructure (e.g. #Gazprom owning gas storage facilities & #Rosneft owning refineries) & requires Russian divestment now.
[12] Neutralize Moscow’s long-term strategy of advancing diversionary pipelines by announcing decommissioning dates for #Gazprom’s #NordStream1, #TurkStream2 & #Yamal pipeline routes, channeling remaining gas through Ukrainian route until full gas embargo is reached across EU.
[13] While full gas embargo develops, institute controlled sales regime on #Gazprom sales (similar to oil proposals) to sharply limit funds reaching #Kremlin from gas purchases & support 🇺🇦 reconstruction. Deploy near term measures to cut Russian gas imports as much as possible.
[14] Rapidly deploy further LNG import infrastructure around EU & repurpose current German #NordStream1 & #NordStream2 gas hub at Lubmin, converting site to instead link to non-Russian LNG imports via FSRU deployment.
Accelerate renewable energy infrastructure deployments in EU.
[15] 🇺🇸🇪🇺🇺🇦 This is just a top level summary of some of the hard-hitting policy proposals outlined in this second Working Group report.
Please do take a moment to read full report & call on global democracies to empty Putin’s energy piggy bank while standing with Ukraine‼️
[END]
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🚨ALERT🚨 At press conference just now, #Finnish investigators release first subsea images of the #Balticconnector pipeline damage site, along with images of the “extremely heavy object” they found near the pipeline and subsequently recovered, appearing to be an anchor.
Additional updates from Finnish presser:
▪️Object recovered is anchor.
▪️Marks on seabed suggest anchor was dragged for at least *several kilometers* before hitting Balticconnector.
▪️Seabed mark continued at least *several kilometers* after pipeline damage site.
Further updates from Finnish presser:
▪️Remains unclear still if strike is intentional or accidental so investigation still being treated as gross sabotage.
▪️Chinese vessel <NEWNEW POLAR BEAR> remains under investigation.
[1]🚨BREAKING🚨Calls for Manuela Schwesig to resign reemerged today, after revelations that she promoted a deal to sell helicopter & drone parts to Russia in 2018, despite the fact that the CEO of the receiving firm, Russian Helicopters, was already under EU sanctions
👇Thread👇
[2] Revelation about Schwesig comes after years of scandal around her leadership of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, after she facilitated the creation of a fake “climate foundation” funded aimed at circumventing sanctions on Putin’s #NordStream2 & a ship it owned…
[3] Just this week, I reminded #CanadianParliament that both the “climate foundation” and the #NordStream2 construction vessel it supported - the BLUE SHIP- remain unsanctioned today - decisions that can and should be reversed immediately by the US and EU‼️
🧵 [1] JUST OUT: A statement from the @FSIStanford@McFaul-led International Working Group on Russia Sanctions calling on Canada to reverse #NordStream1 turbine sanctions waiver decision & for German & US governments to politically endorse the reversal👇
[3] The export controls waiver sets an unacceptable sanctions precedent that only emboldens the Putin regime to weaponize its energy leverage over Europe under the guise of dubious technical justifications.
[2] First, the article suggests that the metric by which the July 2021 “deal” to drop mandatory, bipartisan Congressional sanctions to stop the Kremlin-backed #NordStream2 pipeline was an agreement focused such that if Putin invaded Ukraine, Berlin would stop the project:
[3] The article then includes a statement from Germany’s Ambassador to the US, calling the July 2021 “deal” to give the Putin regime’s marquee energy influence project a pass from mandatory sanctions “a sublime form” of “partnership management”:
🧵[1] The Kremlin & other defenders of #Russia’s state-owned oil & gas firms have long claimed variations on the theme that #Moscow’s energy projects are “just commercial” & “Russia has always been a reliable energy supplier”
🧵 [1] ALERT: Kremlin-controlled #Gazprom informed #Polish & #Bulgarian officials that it suspended natural gas deliveries to both countries, once again demonstrating how #Moscow continues to weaponize energy against Europe.
[2] 👀 First, the latest flow rates reported by the EU @ENTSOG natural gas network flow transparency portal. According to ENTSOG, Gazprom physical flows at the Kondratki entry point to the Yamal transmission pipeline at the Poland-Belarus border is near zero:
[3] 👀 Meanwhile, @ENTSOG shows the gas flows across at Strandzha-2 interconnector, the entry point of Gazprom’s #TurkStream2 pipeline to the Bulgarian gas transmission system operated by #Bulgartransgaz sharply decreasing in last few days: