The European Union has paid Russia $24 billion for energy supplies since President Vladimir Putin began his unprovoked attack on Ukraine Feb. 24, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) said.
"800 million euros [nearly $875 million] is the amount that we pay daily for gas and oil imports. Over 22 billion [$24 billion dollars] since the invasion," Raphael Glucksmann, a French MEP, said in a translation of his Facebook post on Wednesday.
"This is money for weapons, missiles, ammunition and all military expenses of the occupier."
Glucksmann joined 211 fellow MEPs in demanding an immediate oil and gas embargo to go along with an agreed upon coal embargo, Graniru.org reported.
"Europe has never imported as much Russian gas and oil as it has since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Never. In volume as in values," Glucksmann said on Facebook.
"Is this the 'firm response' of our leaders to the return of war on our continent? Increase hydrocarbon imports instead of stopping them. Buying more gas than ever from the diet that is killing. Pouring more money than ever into the Kremlin coffins. Is this all the closure Europe is capable of?'"
Glucksmann implored European leaders to "stop funding" Putin's forces and display the "courage" similar to that shown by Lithuania.
"Lithuania is the European country that will suffer the most from the ban on Russian gas and oil imports according to projections," Glucksmann wrote. "Totally dependent on Russian gas, it risks losing more than 6 GDP points. And yet Lithuania supports the embargo, better: it has put it in place."
Glucksmann, a French journalist and film director, mentioned some of the "infinite evil" inflicted on Ukrainians by Russian troops.
"3, 7 or 10 year old children raped in front of their parents, 'safaris' organized against mothers and teenagers, summary executions, grenades thrown in caves full of civilians," Glucksmann posted. "Every report I open, the description of Russian crimes gives me the nerve and fills me with anger. Boutcha beggars are not an isolated drool. Every hour we receive new testimonies, new evidence, new videos.
"So crimes against humanity are committed on European soil. ... In the face of such horror, we all have to question ourselves: is our collective and individual response at the height of danger?
"Are we doing everything in our power to stop these crimes and end this war?"
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