The news from Washington on August 24 was that US president Donald Trump now thinks (at least for the next 24 hours) that Ukraine can recover all its invaded territory from Russia, a U-turn from his February Oval Office opinion that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenski had “no cards” with which to expel Russian forces.

However, there’s nothing in Trump’s latest tweet that indicates any change in present US policy towards the Ukraine war: future US aid will have to be paid for by Ukraine’s supporters in Europe and there’s no guarantee that Trump’s policy won’t flip again if Putin can make him a seductive offer.

Most likely, as US commentators have remarked, Trump’s offering is just a smokescreen for a decision to zig-zag out of a conflict that offers him no chance of gain.

So, as this petition makes crystal clear, to win a just peace Ukraine must reduce its dependence on the fickle US administration, and the European powers that say they stand by Ukraine must intensify their support effort.

Critical shortfalls

To understand how much this effort still falls short of what is needed to counter Putin’s criminal invasion both on the battlefield and economically, read this informed research:

(Keil Institute) Ukraine Aid: How Europe Can Replace US Support

• Key quote: 
  ‘To replace US aid flows and keep total support at the same level Europe needs to double its yearly support to an average level of 0.21% of GDP. This is less than half of what Denmark and the Baltics are already doing and on a level of what Poland and the Netherlands do. In short: Europe as a whole would need to follow Scandinavia’s or Poland’s example.’

(Centre for Strategic and International Studies) Can Ukraine Fight Without US Aid? Seven Questions to Ask

• Key quote:
  ‘Even if Europe and Ukraine can fill the gaps left by U.S. production, intelligence and know-how, they will have to do so before Russia can take advantage of the likely dip in Ukrainian fighting power to irreversibly turn the tables on Kyiv and undermine the successes that the past three years of U.S. support have made possible.’ 

(Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air) Insured complicity: 76% of Russia’s LNG exports carried on UK owned or insured vessels since invasion

• Key quote:
  ‘When looked at in conjunction, vessels owned or insured in the UK have facilitated the maritime transportation of GBP 160.7 bn of Russian oil since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  CREA’s analysis estimates that UK maritime services have facilitated the transportation of GBP 205.8 bn of Russian crude, oil products and LNG since the start of the invasion until the end of Q1 2025 — more than double the Kremlin’s annual military spending of GBP 97 bn in 2024.’

(Razom We Stand) Open Letter: Call To EU Leaders to Put Sanctions on Russian LNG in the Upcoming 19th Sanctions Package

• Key quote:
  ‘Sanction all the LNG tankers tied to Russian LNG projects. Out of 81 LNG vessels identified by Razom We Stand, the EU has sanctioned only 18 of them (15 standard LNG tankers, 2 offshore ships and only 1 Arc7 ice class carrier). Arc7 carriers are particularly valuable to Novatek, Russia’s second-largest gas producer, which relies heavily on them.
  
  ‘Prohibit EU shipyards such as Damen and Fayard A/S from repairing and maintaining Russian Arc7 ice-class LNG tankers.’

Let’s remember Zelensky’s September 24 words to the UN General Assembly:

'We must use everything we have – together – to force the aggressor to stop. And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race won’t end in catastrophe for all of us. If it takes weapons to do it, if it takes pressure on Russia – then it must be done. And it must be done now.'

The most powerful weapon against the special economic interests that are holding back the implementation of the support that Ukraine needs to win a just peace is mobilised public opinion. That is why this petition is important: sign it, share it and urge your networks to do the same.

Photo credit: Ioana Moldovan, Documentary photography