Russia-Ukraine war: Pleas to stop buying Russian oil and gas go unheeded

Even now, on the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Kyiv bracing for the worst, the West has continued purchasing the oil and gas that Moscow is desperate to sell — pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars daily to subsidize its war machine.

Washington and Brussels have carved out loopholes big enough for an oil tanker in their current sanctions policy, allowing the trade to continue. Western officials have also worked the phones, reassuring traders — and their banks — they can continue buying — and paying for — Russian oil and gas.

But Kyiv is pleading