Hillary Clinton urges world leaders to hit Russia with oil and gas sanctions

Call to action comes as the civilian death toll in Ukraine continues to rise

Hillary Clinton speaks about the Ukraine crisis virtually at the Forbes 30/50 forum in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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Hillary Clinton has called on world leaders to put a full embargo on Russian oil and gas exports as the civilian death toll in Ukraine continues to rise.

Speaking at the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, the former US secretary of state said blocking the country’s energy exports would be the ultimate step in escalating the sanctions campaign imposed by the West.

Her call to action came on the same day that Russia threatened to cut off gas supplies to Europe over the war in Ukraine.

For a lot of reasons we should be sanctioning the gas and oil coming out of Russia. It's going to affect their economy, but it's also going to send a message that we're not afraid to do that

Hillary Clinton,
former US secretary of state

In response to a question about the climate crisis, Ms Clinton, who spoke via a live video link from the US, pushed for countries to target Russia’s most powerful weapon in their arsenal — its oil and gas.

“We have to look carefully at the decisions that are being made that sometimes might not look directly related to the climate crisis, but are, which is why I think, for a lot of reasons, we should be sanctioning the gas and oil coming out of Russia.

“It's going to affect their economy, but it's also going to send a message that we're not afraid to do that. And we need to do more to limit fossil fuels anyway.”

Russia-Ukraine war: in pictures

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  A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

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  An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

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  A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo

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  Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo

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  Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters

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  Families eat in the shelter. Reuters

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  A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP

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  A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP

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  An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

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  A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters

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  A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP

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  An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP

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  Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP

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  Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA

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  Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP

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  A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP

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  A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters

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  People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP

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  Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA

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  A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP

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  A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA

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  A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

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  Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National

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  Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National

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  Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National

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  Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National

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  People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP

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  A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA

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  A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP

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  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters

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  A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP

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  Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP

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  Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters

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  Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters

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  A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP

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  Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA

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  Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters

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  Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA

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  Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP

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  A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters

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  A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty

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  A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty

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  Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty

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  Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters

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  Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA

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  A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP

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  Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP

On receiving the International Women’s Day Lifetime Achievement Award by Forbes on Tuesday, Ms Clinton criticised Russia’s limited ceasefire that was announced on Monday.

Despite the promise that several humanitarian corridors could be opened for civilians to escape, Moscow suggested it would allow people to flee Ukrainian cities only if they went to Belarus or Russia.

“Quite frankly, [these were] corridors into Russia, which is not safe for Ukrainians,” she said.

“But there is a concerted effort by governments, particularly Nato governments, both to provide weapons and aid [to Ukraine].

“And there is a very large and growing charitable philanthropic effort also to provide humanitarian aid.”

Urging the world to support the brave Ukrainians fighting for their country, Ms Clinton said they were standing up for “their freedom, democracy and your rights”.

“This is not going to end quickly. Ukrainians have taken a stand and [this] is going to drag on, and it's going to be radically brutal on the part of Russians,” she said.

“I hope people will continue to pay attention to the news coverage. Understand Ukrainians are, I would argue, fighting for all of us, fighting for values that we hold dear.

“This is a very serious time for the world.”

International Women's Day

During the summit, Ms Clinton also honoured two women who have spent their lives fighting for women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Naheed Farid, a former member of the Afghanistan parliament and Zarifa Ghafari, a human-rights activist, were both awarded the Forbes 30/50 Changemaker Award.

At just 27, Ms Farid became Afghanistan’s youngest ever parliamentarian. In the 11 years she served in the assembly, she helped advance the cause for women’s rights and supported economic development projects.

Huma Abedin, advisor to Hillary Clinton, hands the Forbes 30/50 Changemaker Award to Naheed Farid, left, and Zarifa Ghafari. Victor Besa / The National

“When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan [last year], Naheed fled the country with her three young children, but she continues to use her voice to advocate for inclusive Afghan government, for girls' education and for the hard-fought rights for women and girls,” said Ms Clinton.

The second winner, Ms Ghafari, grew up under Taliban rule and was appointed mayor of Maidan Shahr, a city near Kabul, making her Afghanistan’s youngest mayor in history.

“From her first day in office she faced harassment, death threats and even the assassination of her father,” said Ms Clinton.

“Last week she returned to Afghanistan to continue advocating for women’s right at great personal risk.

“I know I speak for everyone in saying we honour her leadership and courage.

“At a time when women's rights and security around the world are under siege, both Naheed and Zarifa remain committed to advancing prosperity, opportunity and dignity for all women in Afghanistan and beyond.”