Evening Standard Comment: By importing Russian energy, Europe continues to fund Vladimir Putin’s war

Vladimir Putin’s retreat from Kyiv may be complete, according to the Ministry of Defence, but the horrifying consequences of Russia’s attacks are growing clearer and more appalling by the day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the destruction of Borodyanka is “more horrific” than what was discovered in Bucha, where civilian deaths have been widely condemned as war crimes.

Today more than 30 people have been killed and over 100 injured in a Russian rocket attack on a railway station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, as civilians tried to evacuate to safer parts of the country.

As Boris Johnson welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to London, he must urge him to accelerate plans to ban Russian energy imports. Britain too has much more to do to end the import of Russian oil.

It will require nimble policymaking and some sacrifices on our part, but the West cannot continue to sanction Russia on the one hand while leaving carve-outs for energy that effectively fund Putin’s atrocities.

In another sign that the capital is springing back to life, Night Tube services will be returning on the Jubilee line from next month. It brings the number of all-night services on weekends to three, with dates for the Northern and Piccadilly lines to be announced “later this summer”.

It is a welcome boost to revellers and businesses alike, making travel easier to cultural destinations such as the South Bank, the West End and linking to Shoreditch on the Overground. But the joy could be short-lived if it is blighted by staff shortages or if the RMT union elects to expand the industrial action it has been taking on the Victoria and Central lines since January.

London’s night-time economy is the beating heart of the city. It’s good to have it roaring back full throttle.