Europeans weigh costs of cutting Russian energy over Ukraine

By COLLEEN BARRY, VESELIN TOSHKOV and JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Rising energy prices in Europe are testing the resolve of those caught between a dependence on cheap Russian energy and their revulsion at Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Governments are trying to replace Russian energy, mindful their regular payments are funding the invasion. The economic blow is falling increasingly on consumers and businesses. In the low-income neighborhoods of Milan, people seek help from the church in paying utility bills. A pipe-fitter who installs boilers in Hungary sees his profession directly affected by the war. A German glassmaker worries what the cutoff of Russian natural gas will mean for her company. A Bulgarian construction worker fears the blowback of more sanctions on once-close Moscow.