Ukrainian lawmaker says on Fox News that any Russian oil and gas bought now 'is paid by our Ukrainian blood'

published 24 February 2022

Fox News' Shannon Bream asked a Ukrainian member of parliament, Alexey Goncharenko, for the situation on the ground in Kyiv on Thursday morning, not long after Russia launched a large-scale attack on the country. "Hello — I cannot say good morning, unfortunately," he said. "There are explosions around the city, our military infrastructure, airports are bombed, and it's not only about Kyiv. It's Odessa, Kharkiv, Mariupol, it's the big cities of the country and smaller cities, too. There is a full-scale attack on Ukraine using heavy artillery and aviation and rockets."

Goncharenko urged Fox News viewers and other Americans to urge the U.S. government to respond to Russia President Vladimir Putin's invasion with the "toughest possible sanctions," including kicking Russia "out of the world economy" and banning "Russian oil and gas. That's something which can stop Russia." He told Bream he intends to stay and fight and asked NATO or the U.S. to cover Ukraine with a no-fly zone.

Goncharenko said a middling package of sanctions won't hurt Putin. But "a ban on Russian oil and gas, that's something that will stop them," he said. "They couldn't afford the economy, they couldn't afford their living, without the selling of oil and gas. And every barrel of oil and every cubic meter of gas which is now bought from Russia is something which is paid by our Ukrainian blood. It's just you should understand this. And today it's out Ukrainian blood, tomorrow it will be blood of other nations."

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The U.S., other G7 countries, and allied nations will unveil their sanctions packages later Thursday. A ban on oil may not be in the cards in the short-term, but Putin's invasion may mark the beginning of the end of Russian oil and gas power in Europe.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.