No more business as usual with Putin

No more business as usual should be now a general attitude of the nations of the free world towards Putin's Russia. He boldly invaded Ukraine and shows no signs to stop until democratic government in Kyiv is crushed. Ever stronger sanctions must be imposed by the US and the EU. Western leaders should unanimously back harsh measures against Moscow, which has effectively undermined the whole international system and turned violence into a norm in relations between independent nations. But all these high-flown rhetoric and actions conceal one shameful fact: Western companies continue doing their business as usual with Russia. While Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil state their support to help Ukraine become energy independent, they keep on investing in their projects in Russia and allow Kremlin to feel relaxed about prospects of economic isolation. The flow of Western money speaks louder than words of its politicians. In the 1930-s American companies were among those involved in the program of rearmament of Germany. Until very last moment before Pearl Harbor they kept on supplying Nazi Germany with machinery and strategic materials. The world paid a very high a price for extra revenues for the Rockefeller, Dupont and Ford corporations. It is high time to stress that those who invest in big projects in the Russian energy sector ipso facto support the regime in Kremlin, and thus share the responsibility for its aggression against Ukraine and for violation of international law.