Kathrine Frich
When global tensions reach a boiling point, people look for a way to cool the room down.
Deciding exactly who should make the first move is always the hardest part.
Now, a prominent voice from across the Atlantic is pointing the finger straight at Berlin.
Heading for a clash
American economist Jeffrey Sachs just sent a stark warning to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Through an open letter in the Berliner Zeitung, he declared that the security situation has “dramatically deteriorated” in recent months.
The former UN advisor sees disaster on the horizon. He believes “Europe and Russia are approaching an open clash,” and he insists Germany has the unique power to stop it.
Sachs pointed out that Merz previously spoke about repairing relations with Moscow. But the economist argued those January statements completely failed to spark real negotiations with Russian leaders.
A different view
The letter places a heavy amount of blame on Western policies. Sachs fiercely criticized NATO for expanding eastward, claiming Germany broke past promises made to the Soviet Union.
He also took aim at Ukraine. The economist asked Berlin to pressure Kyiv into stopping drone strikes on civilian targets inside Russia.
He even dismissed the 2014 Ukrainian revolution as a “brutal coup.” To many observers, that specific framing sounds exactly like a standard talking point straight from the Kremlin.
Economic warning signs
Beyond the battlefield, the American diplomat warned that Germany is tearing apart its own economy. He called the destruction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline an “act of industrial sabotage against the German economy that went unpunished and unanswered.”
Now, European buyers rely on expensive American gas.
“This is industrial suicide,” Sachs wrote. He noted that the heavy financial burden is stripping the international competitiveness away from German manufacturers.
Demanding a deal
To fix the crisis, the economist is demanding immediate diplomacy.
“I ask you to open a dialogue with President Putin,” the letter reads. Sachs urged Merz to either send his foreign minister to Moscow or invite Sergey Lavrov to Berlin.
His proposed peace plan requires freezing the conflict right where the troops stand today. He also demands strict neutrality for Ukraine.
He firmly believes the German public deserves to hear this perspective. Restoring trade with Moscow, he argued, is the only real way out of the current industrial mess.
Sources: Berliner Zeitung, Money.pl
