Jeffrey Sachs

This was how the Russians saw this. Why are you coming to our border when you told us you weren't gonna move? And there was one other thing that was very important in this, which was probably the most decisive thing and almost not even recognized. The U.S. did something really, really, really destabilizing, and that is it unilaterally left the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

That was a core strategy to stop a nuclear war between the two superpowers, because what ABM had done for 30 years was to say, we each have deterrents. If you strike us, we can strike back. We'll limit our anti-ballistic missiles so that both sides maintain deterrence. In 2002, the United States unilaterally, unprovoked, Walked out of ABM said, no, no, we're not gonna do it anymore.

That was a core strategy to stop a nuclear war between the two superpowers, because what ABM had done for 30 years was to say, we each have deterrents. If you strike us, we can strike back. We'll limit our anti-ballistic missiles so that both sides maintain deterrence. In 2002, the United States unilaterally, unprovoked, Walked out of ABM said, no, no, we're not gonna do it anymore.

That was a core strategy to stop a nuclear war between the two superpowers, because what ABM had done for 30 years was to say, we each have deterrents. If you strike us, we can strike back. We'll limit our anti-ballistic missiles so that both sides maintain deterrence. In 2002, the United States unilaterally, unprovoked, Walked out of ABM said, no, no, we're not gonna do it anymore.

We're going to put anti ballistic missile systems into Russia's bordering territories. The Russians said, are you kidding? The US said, what's your problem? We do what we want. So in 2007, Putin said, stop already. In 2008, George Bush Jr. doubled down, as Americans typically do, and said, okay, now we're moving to Ukraine and to Georgia. That was why this war occurred.

We're going to put anti ballistic missile systems into Russia's bordering territories. The Russians said, are you kidding? The US said, what's your problem? We do what we want. So in 2007, Putin said, stop already. In 2008, George Bush Jr. doubled down, as Americans typically do, and said, okay, now we're moving to Ukraine and to Georgia. That was why this war occurred.

We're going to put anti ballistic missile systems into Russia's bordering territories. The Russians said, are you kidding? The US said, what's your problem? We do what we want. So in 2007, Putin said, stop already. In 2008, George Bush Jr. doubled down, as Americans typically do, and said, okay, now we're moving to Ukraine and to Georgia. That was why this war occurred.

But Ukraine had one more sliver of life. And that was that they elected a president in 2010 that didn't want to be part of NATO. And the public didn't want to be part of NATO. Why? Because they knew this is very dangerous. Why get into this provocative situation? His name was Viktor Yanukovych. Americans don't like neutrality, but Yanukovych was trying to be neutral between the two sides.

But Ukraine had one more sliver of life. And that was that they elected a president in 2010 that didn't want to be part of NATO. And the public didn't want to be part of NATO. Why? Because they knew this is very dangerous. Why get into this provocative situation? His name was Viktor Yanukovych. Americans don't like neutrality, but Yanukovych was trying to be neutral between the two sides.

But Ukraine had one more sliver of life. And that was that they elected a president in 2010 that didn't want to be part of NATO. And the public didn't want to be part of NATO. Why? Because they knew this is very dangerous. Why get into this provocative situation? His name was Viktor Yanukovych. Americans don't like neutrality, but Yanukovych was trying to be neutral between the two sides.

And the US played a rather unfortunate role on February 22nd, 2014 in a violent overthrow of this And that's when the war started. And it's been now ten years and no president has told the truth until yesterday, by the way. Yesterday is a historic day because a call took place between President Putin and President Trump. It was the first call.

And the US played a rather unfortunate role on February 22nd, 2014 in a violent overthrow of this And that's when the war started. And it's been now ten years and no president has told the truth until yesterday, by the way. Yesterday is a historic day because a call took place between President Putin and President Trump. It was the first call.

And the US played a rather unfortunate role on February 22nd, 2014 in a violent overthrow of this And that's when the war started. And it's been now ten years and no president has told the truth until yesterday, by the way. Yesterday is a historic day because a call took place between President Putin and President Trump. It was the first call.

We don't know if there had been a short call beforehand between the two of them, but there was no call by Biden and Putin. With war going on for three years, no call. And now there was a call, and the readout from the American side was excellent. What President Trump said in the call was, we respect Russia. We hear Russia's concerns. We fought on the same side in World War II.

We don't know if there had been a short call beforehand between the two of them, but there was no call by Biden and Putin. With war going on for three years, no call. And now there was a call, and the readout from the American side was excellent. What President Trump said in the call was, we respect Russia. We hear Russia's concerns. We fought on the same side in World War II.

We don't know if there had been a short call beforehand between the two of them, but there was no call by Biden and Putin. With war going on for three years, no call. And now there was a call, and the readout from the American side was excellent. What President Trump said in the call was, we respect Russia. We hear Russia's concerns. We fought on the same side in World War II.

Nice point, by the way. True, Russia lost, Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II and was an ally of the United States, a fact that wasn't mentioned for years and years and years by President Biden. And then the defense secretary, Hegseth, the new defense secretary, said yesterday the truth for the first time, that Ukraine is not going to join NATO. This is the basis for peace.

Nice point, by the way. True, Russia lost, Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II and was an ally of the United States, a fact that wasn't mentioned for years and years and years by President Biden. And then the defense secretary, Hegseth, the new defense secretary, said yesterday the truth for the first time, that Ukraine is not going to join NATO. This is the basis for peace.

Nice point, by the way. True, Russia lost, Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II and was an ally of the United States, a fact that wasn't mentioned for years and years and years by President Biden. And then the defense secretary, Hegseth, the new defense secretary, said yesterday the truth for the first time, that Ukraine is not going to join NATO. This is the basis for peace.

This is absolutely the basis for peace. And they couldn't tell the truth. for three decades. They could not admit what any of us knew because I've been around this region for 36 years in detail. I sat with Boris Yeltsin, I sat with Mikhail Gorbachev, but the Americans would not tell the truth publicly until yesterday that this was so provocative, it was a game. They thought they'd win the game.