Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a list of state actions and proposed federal actions to pressure Vladimir Putin to end the war on Ukraine.
“As a response to President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, we all need to do our part to support countries and people who believe in freedom,” Dunleavy said.
Dunleavy directed state agencies to identify Russian products and contracts and divest of the relationships, and called on state-owned corporations to do the same. The governor included the Alaska Permanent Fund, directing his comments to the independent board of trustees for the Permanent Fund.
Dunleavy called on President Joe Biden to create an expedited process to permit energy projects of all kinds, and to declare a national energy emergency for all forms of energy. He asked Biden to stop buying oil from Russia and to ban Russian seafood imports.
He also reached out to Alaska businesses and entities to do the same.
“I call upon all Alaska businesses to divest from Russian companies. I call upon businesses to stop selling Russian products. I’m calling on all Alaskans to not purchase Russian products or services,” he said. He asked Alaska sister cities to cut ties with Russian sister cities and for Alaska universities to stop any cultural exchange programs with Russia, and to cut all ties with Russian contractors.
“I will work with the appropriate agencies to identify Alaska as a place of refuge for Ukrainians who pass the appropriate background checks,” he said in his statement. “The United States and our allies must become independent of Russian energy, and we must accelerate that process immediately. These decisions are not meant to hurt our Alaskan friends of Russian background or to put blame for President Putin’s actions on the people he is violently silencing.”
Dunleavy said he will work with the Legislature on any additional measures to put pressure on the Putin regime to end the war against Ukraine.
