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US economist calls on the West to abandon NATO expansion to the East

The economist proposed recognizing the neutral status of Ukraine and Georgia to end the conflict

Quick Look

American economist Jeffrey Sachs said that to end the conflict, the West must publicly reject NATO expansion at the expense of Ukraine and Georgia, consolidate the neutral status of Ukraine and exclude the stationing of foreign troops there.

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Why It Matters

Jeffrey Sachs is a professor at Columbia University and a frequent commentator on international politics. The issue of NATO expansion remains central to discussions about security in Eastern Europe.

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WASHINGTON, October 9 – RIA Novosti. The West must publicly announce its refusal to further expand NATO to the East, including excluding the possibility of Ukraine and Georgia joining the alliance, says American economist and professor at Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs.

"The war will end when the West finally publicly declares: NATO's expansion to the East is over. Ukraine and Georgia, as well as any other countries in Russia's neighborhood, will not join NATO," Sachs told RIA Novosti.

According to the economist, the West also needs to recognize the neutral status of Ukraine and refuse to station European troops on its territory both during the conflict and after its end. In addition, Sachs believes, a future peace agreement must be approved by the UN Security Council.

“These principles of peace are simple and matured many years ago,” the economist emphasized.

In early October, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the issue of Ukraine's possible entry into NATO was not on the agenda.

Open Questions

Will Sachs' initiative be considered by NATO officials?