Petro Poroshenko: “A seven-point plan to force Putin to step down”

Petro Poroshenko was Ukraine's fifth president from June 7, 2014 to May 20, 2019.

Ukraine is in a position to win a war it did not start and to compel its aggressor, Russia, to assume its responsibilities on the international scene.

This victory will be ours, as well as that of all the democratic countries of the world.

For now, however, fierce fighting is raging, especially in Bakhmout, and is costing the lives of Ukrainian heroes.

From Boutcha, last March, to Dnipro, most recently in January, peaceful people continue to lose their lives.

Russia is actively preparing for the offensive and for revenge in a military campaign which, in almost a year, has failed to achieve any of the goals it set itself before the full-scale invasion.

Last week, the Russian leader made various statements regarding the Kremlin's plans.

Among its key messages, we will retain: the war promises to be long and exhausting, the human and financial costs are not significant, we must expect a next wave of mobilization, but it will probably be concealed, and the money does not lack to finance the war.

in the long term, the sanctions imposed will have a negative impact on the Russian economy, depriving it of its chances of modernization and plunging it into a long recession.

These sanctions are something of a ticking time bomb for Russia, which it is gradually transforming into an orthodox Iran.

Petro Poroshenko

According to preliminary figures announced by the World Bank, Russia's GDP fell by only 3.5% last year.

Undeniably, in the long term, the sanctions taken will have a negative impact on the Russian economy, depriving it of its chances of modernization and plunging it into a long recession.

These sanctions are something of a ticking time bomb for Russia, which it is gradually transforming into an orthodox Iran.

But to be effective, this bomb must have a rapid explosive effect whose shock wave, if it does not destroy Putin, will at least certainly deprive him of the resources necessary for a long-term war.

Let us not forget that while the world watches for the cumulative effect, the Russian knell continues to sound the death of Ukrainians.

Sanctions are not an end in themselves,

While Russia has swapped its status as a gas supplier to Europe for that of a gas supplier to China, it continues to earn astronomical sums through the export of oil and gas.

During the first months of the war, the prices of oil and gas jumped and, in one year, Moscow received 350 billion dollars thanks to the energy trade alone!

With such a treasury, Russia is able to fight as long as it wants and not only against Ukraine... Therefore, the democratic world must strive to significantly reduce this revenue during the year in Classes.

Let's not forget that it was the fall in oil prices that caused the collapse of the Soviet Union.

And before that,

It was not until December that the most severe sanctions came into force, namely the capping of Russian oil prices and an embargo on its supply by sea.

The tenth EU sanctions package should be ready on the anniversary of the Russian invasion.

According to the announcements made, it will mainly aim to eliminate loopholes, end non-compliance with sanctions and introduce harsh consequences for those who circumvent European Union sanctions.

While such targets are entirely justified, a more ambitious approach is nevertheless necessary.

We insist on the need to strengthen the sanctions, which, in addition to the increase in arms deliveries, will oblige Putin to start peace talks this year.

First

.

The G7 is expected to lower the Russian oil price cap in March.

It would be more appropriate to speak of a "floor".

So far, the marginal price of Russian oil has turned out to be too positive, even exceeding the market price.

Secondly.

It is necessary to enact a strictly controlled ban on the transshipment of Russian oil and the production of oil cocktails with its components.

These include penalties for concealing the country of origin, etc.

Access to the Suez Canal for Russian export goods subject to sanctions must be blocked by all means permitted by international law.

Petro Poroshenko

Thirdly.

Access to the Suez Canal for Russian export goods subject to sanctions must be blocked by all means permitted by international law.

This blocking should apply to shipments of energy resources that are not insured by insurance companies known for their diligent compliance with the sanctions regime.

It is simply a question of not accepting policies from unreliable insurance companies, subject to the influence of Russia or its partners, who do not comply with the sanctions regime.

Violators must be arrested by the naval forces of NATO member states.

If forced to take Vasco da Gama's route, the Russians will take much longer to get their oil to South Asia than cutting through the Suez Canal.

Of course, such an initiative should provide for full compensation of the losses suffered by Egypt thus deprived of revenues related to transport serving the interests of Russia.

According to our estimates, these losses could reach approximately one billion dollars.

Fourth

.

Let's go from Africa to the Arctic.

Restrictions on Russian liquefied gas trade must be strictly adhered to.

We are grateful to the equipment and technology suppliers, including France's Total, Germany's Linde and Siemens, and Japan's Mitsui, who stopped cooperating in the Arctic LNG2 project, as well as South Korea's Daewoo Heavy, which refused an attractive contract for 15 tankers with ice certification.

Fifth.

It is necessary to permanently close the Druzhba pipeline.

We need help to reach an agreement with Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

The situation is grotesque: while the Russians are destroying our infrastructure, we still have to pump around 12 million tons of Russian oil!

Based on the agreement reached with the partners, I have no doubt that Ukraine will shut down both the Druzhba pipeline and our part of the gas transportation system[A1] .

The only reason we continue to pump oil and gas is that we rely on the opinion of those of our partners who still consume Russian energy resources.

Sixth.

We must deprive Russia of nearly ten billion dollars by prohibiting it from providing uranium enrichment services and building nuclear power plants.

As an accomplice to the crimes perpetrated by the Russian military at the Chernobyl and Zaporizhia nuclear power plants, Rosatom deserves the harshest possible sanctions.

Let's not forget that Russia itself is threatening the whole world with nuclear weapons.

Sanctions and weapons, weapons and sanctions: these are the best guarantees that will prevent Russian escalation, and ensure our common victory.

Petro Poroshenko

Seventh.

Currently, nearly half of the gold and currency reserves of the aggressor are blocked, that is to say more than three hundred billion dollars.

Over $130 billion in gold is sure to become illiquid.

Therefore, it is not enough to prohibit the purchase of gold in Russia: it is necessary to prevent its use as collateral or any other use.

Russian gold is covered in blood, as are Russian diamonds, especially considering the unsavory activities the Wagner Group engages in in African countries.

According to forecasts, the real restrictions in the oil and gas sector, if they become fully operational in 2023, will lead to a collapse of Russian exports of 530-300 billion dollars.

The measures we are suggesting, in turn, would deprive Russia of an additional $30 billion in export revenue.

Another mission for the coming months would be to build up sufficient offensive potential to liberate Ukraine from invaders and discourage them from attacking other countries.

We're not just talking about tanks these days, but also about ATACMS missiles, modern F16 fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters.

Sanctions and weapons, weapons and sanctions: these are the best guarantees that will prevent Russian escalation, and ensure our common victory and a peace that we have all been calling for for so long.