US and Russia Should Stop 'Biting', Start Rebuilding, Ex-Envoy to UN Says

"[We should] stop biting and start rebuilding. We do not want the complete destruction of anybody", Young said.

The former diplomat pointed out that the crisis in Ukraine has led to a severe deterioration in US-Russia relations.

"This conflict can only get worse for everybody. Nobody is able to protect their own interests", he said.

All sides suffer from the aggravation of relations, Young continued, adding that stopping the conflict would benefit everyone.

"It is not in Russia's interests to have American companies pulled out, it is not in America's interest as well. We are all paying a price, and I do not know how to stop that, but it seems that a ceasefire is in everybody's interest", he said.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin meet for the U.S.-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021.

Young warned that the current crisis would have no winners.

"Right now, nobody is winning this and it can destroy everybody. We do not have a process that keeps us from destroying each other off the Earth", he added.

According to the ex-envoy, the US and Russia share many interests and should try to reach peace in Ukraine.

"Russian people and the American people have a lot of interests in common... Let's stop and start over, and try to get peace", he said, noting that current relations between the two countries are "not reasonable".

Young, now 90, represented the US at the United Nations from 1977 to 1979 under then-President Jimmy Carter. He gave an example of cooperation between the two countries during that period.

"We had a very effective UN. I never had a Russian or Chinese veto on any proposal I made. One of the reasons was that the USSR was interested in Africa those days, and Africans did not want to see war because war took away from their development. We had an amazing period in the late 1970s", he said.

US soldiers congratulating Soviet officers on winning the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

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The diplomat also referred to Soviet-US cooperation during and just after World War II.

"When we stopped bombing and started building, everybody became a winner. As long as we are destroying - you cannot destroy your enemy without paying [a] price yourself", he added.

Young, who called himself a peacemaker, noted the importance of culture in building bridges between countries.

"Everybody likes Tchaikovsky, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. The civilisation is strongly influenced by Russian thinkers", he added.

On 24 February, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine in response to calls from the Donbass republics for help in countering intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only. It accused Kiev's forces of using typical terrorist methods, such as hiding behind civilians and in residential quarters.

The US and its allies have responded with comprehensive sanctions, including restrictions on the Russian central bank, export control measures, SWIFT cutoff for select banks, and closure of airspace to all Russian flights. Many companies have even suspended their Russian operations.

Inflation and Democracy

At the same time, Andrew Young noted that high inflation may represent a risk to democracy in the United States as well as political stability.

"If inflation gets too high, it will be a move against democracy in the US because it would [be] hard to keep American politics stable", Young said.

The former diplomat said that the conflict in Ukraine, which is one of factors behind the high prices, has unified civil society in the US.

"Three years ago we were very divided. And I think one thing this war did is unite the American people. We are now more unified for peace at home and abroad than we were anywhere", he said.

An employee of the Korea Exchange Bank counts one hundred U.S. dollar notes during a photo opportunity at the bank's headquarters in Seoul April 28, 2010

Young also supposed that the possible replacement of Russian energy sources by oil from Iran and Venezuela might reflect US interests.

"I hear talks now about increasing Venezuela and Iran oil to replace Russian oil in the US and in the world. It might be in the US interests", he said.

Last week, the Federal Reserve raised US interest rates for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and said there could be another six hikes this year if inflation remains high.

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