Blue and yellow flags fluttered in the Brussels wind, as around 40 people gathered at the Place de la Liberté in the Belgian capital on Monday (22 September).
The Ukrainian national anthem sounded through the streets as people held up signs demanding “Hit Russia Where It Hurts: Their Wallet“ or "Full Embargo On Russian Oil And Gas“.
The protest was organised by the Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand, Bond Beter Leefmilieu (a Flemish environmental network) and Ukrainian activists.
They are demanding Belgian officials end the country's dependency on Russian LNG.
According to Ivan Hortal Sánchez, the EU campaigner at Razom We Stand, Belgium is among the three member states in the EU that import the most Russian LNG.
“One third of the Kremlin's revenues are from fossil fuels. So, when you are buying gas and oil from Russia, you are funding the war. The only way to stop this is if you produce homegrown renewables,” he explained.
Razom We Stand is a Ukrainian climate movement working to stop the flow of money that still goes to Moscow. It advocates for a shift to renewables, and challenges the fossil-fuel industry and its political backers who profit from Russian gas and keep Europe dependent on it.
Iryna, a young Ukrainian woman there, told EUobserver: “I find it surprising that we keep supporting Russia by still buying its gas. I do find it hypocritical.“
Another protester, Olena, who lived in the east Ukrainian town of Donezk before she fled in 2014, noted: “Every euro the EU spends on fossil fuels is going directly to Russian rockets and bombs.”
Since last Friday, there has been renewed pressure on member states and energy companies from the EU Commission.
The 19th sanction package saw the EU's plan to stop Russia's LNG gas flow by 2027 — one year earlier than initially planned, and more in line with Donald Trump’s demands that the EU should immediately stop buying Russian fossil fuels.
But before those sanctions take effect, the EU's member states have to adopt them unanimously.
“I think this is a victory for civil society groups like ours because we've been pushing for that”, said Hortal Sánchez.
He added: “What we would propose is to do it already next year. So, 1 January 2026.”
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Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.
Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.