The European Central Bank (ECB) said Thursday that it will make an early exit from its economic stimulus efforts as it combats record inflation that threatens to go ever higher as energy prices soar during Russia’s war in Ukraine. The move was a tough choice because the invasion also has exposed Europe to a potential hit to economic growth. But the ECB chose higher inflation as the bigger threat, surprising many analysts who had expected no change in the bank’s roadmap for the coming months. The bank was keeping its options open and could modify its stimulus exit depending on what happens with the economy, President Christine Lagarde said. That’s hard to answer right now because of massive uncertainty over the impact of the war. “The prospects for the economy will depend on the course of the Russia-Ukraine war and on the impact of economic and financial sanctions and other …