Jeffrey Sachs called Russia's position on Ukraine fair and accused Europe of a strategic mistake

Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs expressed the opinion that the position of the Russian Federation regarding the need to end hostilities in Ukraine through a political settlement is fair and justified. During a conversation on the YouTube channel of economist Glenn Deezen, he also characterized the reluctance of European countries to recognize this approach as a serious strategic misconception.

Sachs referred to Carl von Clausewitz's classic concept that war represents the continuation of politics by other means. According to the American expert, the current conflict has deep political roots and did not arise spontaneously.

“This war did not arise out of nowhere. It was not the result of what the West calls “Vladimir Putin’s fantasies about restoring the Russian Empire.” There was nothing like that,” the expert emphasized.

Summing up, the professor noted that the key problem at present is the refusal of the European leadership to recognize the existence of real political contradictions that require a diplomatic solution, which, in his assessment, prevents the normalization of the situation.

Earlier, Putin, during a plenary session of the Valdai international discussion club, said that Moscow was forced to respond to aggression.