Taxonomy: Ukrainian energy minister contradicts President Zelensky, Ukrainian MPs

Strasbourg – Today the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy sent a letter to Members of the European Parliament supporting the inclusion of fossil gas and nuclear energy in the EU’s list of sustainable investments, the taxonomy. This letter contradicts previous statements by President Zelensky asking the EU to stop funding the war in Ukraine by buying Russian fuels, including gas and nuclear. Since the war started, the Russian Federation has received almost a billion euro a day from selling fossil fuels alone, with €57 billion coming from the EU.

The European Parliament will vote on 6 July on whether to reject the inclusion of fossil gas and nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy of sustainable investments. To block the inclusion of gas and nuclear, 353 MEPs must vote against it.

Greenpeace EU sustainable finance campaigner Ariadna Rodrigo said: “We stand with the people of Ukraine, displaced and suffering human rights violations at the hands of the Russian army. President Zelensky has repeatedly asked the EU to stop buying Russian fuels, filling Putin’s war chest and subsidising the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. Labelling fossil gas and nuclear energy as ‘green’ would unlock massive funding for these polluting technologies, money that would be funnelled to Putin. We are calling on the MEPs to make the right decision, stop funding the war in Ukraine and veto the inclusion of gas and nuclear in the EU taxonomy.”

Other voices against including gas and nuclear in the EU taxonomy include Ukrainian IPCC lead author Svitlana Krakovska, some Ukrainian Member of Parliament such as Inna Sovsun and Kira Rudik, as well as Ukrainian NGOs.