Columbia University's economist, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, recently shared his views that the US's three-decade neoconservative venture in Ukraine is drawing to a close. He reckoned that the strategic goal of encircling Russia via NATO in the Black Sea region has been unsuccessful.
In the article "Fiasco of the Neoconservatives for Ukraine," published in the Greek daily Kathimerini, he pointed out that the next steps taken by the US and Russia will play a crucial role in shaping the world's peace, security, and economic future.
The economist wrote that the neoconservatives' aspirations for NATO's eastward expansion, especially to Ukraine and Georgia, have been thwarted by four key events:
Ukraine's significant losses in NATO’s proxy war against Russia,
Waning European support for the US neocon strategy, with countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia showing less alignment, complemented by the plummeting approval ratings of European Union leaders (French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak),
US reducing economic assistance to Ukraine because of domestic political pressures, and
Ukraine's depleted military resources, making it vulnerable to a potential large-scale assault.
“Ukraine is at risk of economic, demographic, and military collapse. What should the US government do to solve this potential disaster? It urgently needs to change course,” the economic expert said in the article.
Professor Sachs suggests that Britain's nostalgia for its 19th-century empire and the imperialistic tendencies of American neoconservatives are pushing for escalation. He urged for a more level-headed approach and recommended that President Joe Biden should negotiate with President Vladimir Putin on halting NATO's eastward expansion, referring to Putin's security proposals from 17 December 2021. Sachs criticized Biden for not engaging in discussions with Putin at the time.
The expert also proposed that four pivotal components are essential to brokering an agreement:
Biden must take a firm stance against further NATO eastward enlargement.
A renewed focus on nuclear armament is essential for any future agreement. With the US pulling out from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 and the INF Treaty in 2019, combined with the positioning of Aegis missiles in Europe, tensions have worsened. Russia's decision to suspend the New Start Treaty 2023 only adds to this strain.
An essential step is to establish a fresh border between Russia and Ukraine, taking into account the predominant ethnic Russian presence in Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine would receive robust security commitments, unanimously backed by the UN Security Council and nations including Germany, Turkiye, and India.
The US, Russia, and the EU should chart a course to restore their multifaceted relationships in commerce, economy, culture, and tourism.
Such an opinion as that voiced by world-renowned economist and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs - who calls on Washington to reconsider its stance on Russia - is rare, but some kind of discussion is starting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
"There is no other option now, no other proposals exist now. This is the point of view of this economist, nothing more. This is quite a rare reasoning in our time, especially in the Western mainstream. Such reasoning is very rare now, but nevertheless, some kind of discussion is gradually gaining momentum," Peskov told reporters.
Moscow, in recent years, has expressed concerns over the alliance's military buildup on its borders, emphasizing that Russia is not a threat but will not overlook actions jeopardizing its interests.
Additionally, Russia highlighted the West's push to involve Ukraine in NATO and recalled that Ukraine's inclination towards the alliance was a trigger for Russia's special operation.
Amid tensions over arms deliveries to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned NATO nations that any shipments containing weapons bound for Ukraine are considered legitimate targets. The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized the risk NATO countries are taking, suggesting they are "playing with fire" with such supplies. Lavrov also indicated that US and NATO’s role in the Ukraine conflict stretches beyond weapon supply to training personnel in nations such as Great Britain, Germany, and Italy.
Professor Sachs concluded by stating that the neoconservatives were primarily responsible for compromising Ukraine's borders in 1991, and Russia’s unification with Crimea came on the heels of the US-supported removal of President Yanukovych in 2014. He also mentioned that instead of granting autonomy to Donbass according to the Minsk II agreement, neoconservatives chose to arm Ukraine.
Additionally, he emphasized that according to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the foundation for lasting peace in Europe lies in collective security, where member states "shall not strengthen their security at the expense of the security of other states."