The failure of Western diplomacy: Ukraine’s rejection of peace deal in 2022 exposes deep divisions

Economist Jeffrey Sachs, New York City, September 29, 2018. © Michael Kovac / FilmMagic
European NATO members’ growing hostility toward Russia is undermining the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, American economist Jeffrey Sachs said on Wednesday. He highlighted a draft peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine during 2022 talks in Istanbul that was later abandoned by Kiev after then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged Ukrainians to pursue military victory instead. “Unfortunately, the Europeans are in an absolute state of warmongering, which is also very dangerous,” Sachs told TASS from the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. “What could be peace continues with war. And this is a failure of American politics and failure of European politics,” Sachs said. A longtime critic of Western approaches toward Russia, Sachs argued that US and European actions escalated tensions over Ukraine to boiling point. He expressed skepticism about US President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts, stating Washington’s diplomatic team lacks scale and expertise. “There should be professional, detailed, skilled negotiations to get to actual detailed solutions,” he said, adding that Trump is “not a details person” and “not even stable.” After months of suggesting Kiev would need concessions for peace, Trump shifted tone this week, dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger” and implying Ukraine could achieve all territorial goals with European funding. Moscow rejected the claim, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quipping that Russia is a bear and “there is no such thing as a paper bear.” Russian officials have long accused European leaders of prolonging the conflict to avoid admitting their policy toward Moscow has failed.