Jeffrey Sachs is one of the most popular economists in the world for his books on poverty and globalization, which are based on his research at Columbia University and his advisory work for the United Nations on how to combat climate change and achieve sustainable development. The renowned economist talks to EL PAÍS about the risks of climate change, the importance of sustainable development and why Europe should focus on education in Africa, not the war in Ukraine.

However, he also has formulated his views on the Ukrainian crisis:

The greatest challenge is having our minds clear enough to do the right thing.
We don't lack the solutions.
We don't lack the need.
We don't even lack the basic values.
But we are so constantly distracted and falling into our worst impulses.
Now it's war in Europe.
What a tragedy and a waste of time!
We could have negotiated with Russia and avoided this war.
But we're so bad at speaking with each other and now it's devastating.
So many people dying, so much destruction, so much migration, so much waste of money.
My government just voted for $40 billion of emergency aid for Ukraine.
If I had ever said $40 billion for sustainable development, I would have been laughed out of Washington.
'How could we waste that money, Mr Sachs?'
But for war, they do it.
This is the confusion.
It's a kind of primitive thinking.

NATO kept enlarging to the east and especially into the highly sensitive Black Sea region.
[Then UN Secretary General] Kofi Annan asked me in 2000 to advise the UN on the SDGs.
But then 9/11 came and the US said now we're going to have a global war on terror.
I thought at that moment: 'This is stupid.'
Do we really have to invade Afghanistan?
Iraq?
Topple the Syrian regime?
Libyan?
Is this really a good idea?
Well, they did all that.
And where were the Millennium Development Goals [international development goals established by the UN for the year 2015] after all that fighting, all of those trillions of dollars that the United States wasted on these wars?
Well, the Millennium Development Goals were left behind.

There is something wrong with the American political system.
And in our human nature.
We're ready to fight, but find it extremely hard to cooperate.
We're ready to throw weapons and live in a fight.
But investment in peace and development is highly controversial.
It doesn't make sense.
But that's the way it is.

Capitalism means a lot of different things.
It's a big term that includes social democracy and pure market capitalism.
This in particular has failed many times, because it leads to so many social inequalities and environmental crises.
Not only does the market not address these problems, it exacerbates them.
But removing the market as the Soviet Union did is a disaster.
So what we're looking for is something that is mixed.
That is an economy that has markets, government, civil society and a set of clear ethics.
And it should be environmentally sustainable.
Social democracy works much better than the Anglo-Saxon market model.

"Your 823 military bases have occupied the whole world," said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang, addressing Washington.

“We have carefully studied the new concept of NATO, in which China is indirectly identified as a potential threat for the next 10 years.
Let me give you some numbers and ask a question. China has only one overseas military base. The US has 823 military bases around the world.
When we look at the map, one can really imagine that the whole world is occupied by your bases, but you do not consider yourself a threat. Who is the real threat?"

Nicola Sturgeon’s ministers have said no more of Scotland’s money should be given to Ukraine for weapons after being pressured by the Treasury to hand over £65 million.

Kate Forbes, the Scottish finance secretary, said she had agreed to provide the funding “on this occasion” but made it clear that “this must not be seen as any kind of precedent”.

Her comments were echoed by Rebecca Evans, her Welsh counterpart, who said she had been forced to give £30 million earmarked for “devolved areas like health and education”.

But the Treasury “strongly disagreed”, saying government departments across Whitehall had also been asked to make a contribution through their underspend.

A spokesman denied a precedent for raiding devolved budgets for reserved spending areas had been set, saying: “This is a response to an extraordinary crisis.”

What's in a new bag of toys for the Ukrainian boys?

Translated from a highly respected source from over there:

An extremely revealing story happened at the beginning of this week in the Kharkiv region. It's no secret that the Kharkiv region has become the scene of heavy fighting at the moment. From Izyum, our troops are moving towards Slavyansk, in the north of the region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted a counterstrike, and today Belgorod was fired at from the same area. Russian troops are inflicting heavy blows on the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine), some of the territories were lost during the Ukrainian counteroffensive and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation now have retaken control.

At the beginning of the week in the suburbs of Kharkov, settlement Pokatilovka occurred a very typical case. The urban-type settlement became a stronghold of the Ukrainian forces. This is a small settlement, compact and friendly, with an ancient history. Around the village there are many monuments of antiquity.

Instead of protecting this historical heritage, the town became a hostage of the Ukrainian military. AFU concentrated various armoured vehicles in the village, rolled cannon and rocket artillery into the streets and began to strike. It is clear that the response was not long in coming, and Russian artillery responded to the positions of the Vushniks.
Remarkable was the reaction of the residents. They chose an initiative group and sent it to the military leadership of the forces located in the village, with a request to withdraw units and not to shoot from the streets of the town, causing a retaliatory strike at the inhabitants.

The military handed over the residents to the SBU (Ukrainian Security Service). They were detained and taken away in an unknown direction. Some of them were released, but the main part remains in the hands of the SBU. No formal charges have been filed, but the relatives of the detainees were told that they were “traitors” and “accomplices of Russia,” and that they would face trial and prison.

Once again, the truth is confirmed. The population of the south-east of Ukraine, even though the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are full of natives of these very places, is a direct hostage for Kyiv and is generally not perceived as humans, as after the capturing of the another settlement by Russian troops, the AFU would begin to level it with the ground, and before the city/village was taken, the locals act as human shields.

#TransFormator

Drones were hailed as a wonder weapon for Ukrainian forces in the early stages of the conflict.
But experts told Insider that (Ukrainian) drones are becoming increasingly ineffective as Russia has improved its defense systems.
In the early days of the war in Ukraine, drones emerged as an unexpected source of victory against Russian forces.

Stories of the success dominated the news cycle, played out on multiple video clips widely distributed on social media, and showed Ukraine's drones decimating the chaotic Russian advances.

Ukraine's ad-hoc drone airforce, from small consumer drones typically used for surveillance to the famed Turkish-designed Bayraktar TB2 drones, were credited with eviscerating Putin's tanks and armor.

But Russia has learned from the humiliation by drones in the first months of the invasion. Experts told Insider that the drone wonder weapons are becoming increasingly ineffective because Russia has improved its defense systems and is downing and jamming many of Ukraine's drones.

"What's happening now is that Russia's electronic warfare and air defenses have become better organized and fielded when compared to the earlier months of the war," Samuel Bendett, an analyst and expert in unmanned and robotic military systems, said at the Center for Naval Analysis.

Unexpectedly:

British tennis is fined $1m over their ban of Russian athletes, leaving Wimbledon chiefs fuming... as Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries insists the organisers should be 'PRAISED' for condemning the invasion of Ukraine

British tennis has been issued a series of fines worth $1m from sport's authorities
The Wimbledon organisers have been fined for banning Russian athletes
All England Club and Lawn Tennis Association are 'angry' with the decision
They are hoping to appeal the fines with the backing of the British Government

'Our country is going to hell in a hand-basket': WWII veteran celebrating 100th birthday breaks down in TEARS while discussing current state of America

Remembering his time in the Marines, Carl Spurlin Dekel said that while fighting in the war was his biggest pride, soldiers had not died for the America of today.
'People don't realize what they have,' he said. 'The things we did and the things we fought for and the boys that died for it, it's all gone down the drain'.
A wave of violence, mass shootings, inflation increase, and overturns of landmark decisions by the highest court have hindered the country's morale.
It comes amid plummeting approval ratings for those in the country's highest offices, including President Joe Biden.

🇬🇷 Politician and former energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis urges Greece to conclude a strategic alliance with Russia and to lift sanctions, because “Europe is hit hard by the sanctions. Europe has shot itself.”

☝️He also noted that Russia is not responsible for the war in Ukraine, it is the United States, NATO and the Kiev regime that provoked this war.

💬 “The war in Ukraine did not start four months ago. The war began with the 2014 coup d'état by the efforts of Poroshenko and his Nazi friends, battalions "Azov" and "Aidar"... It was a war mainly against the Russian population of Ukraine. The coup was made for escalation and subsequently openly war against Russia.”

🇷🇺 He concluded that "Russia's efforts are aimed at restoring peace, security and justice in the region. Unfortunately, the Kiev regime does not want this, a new dictator in Ukraine Zelensky does not want this, the United States and NATO do not want this."

@dpr_mfa

Another one from Graham Phillips.

Working people of Britain are fed up with rising fuel prices and unreasonable government spending:

Fuel protesters BLOCK the M4 and target motorways across the UK with threat of 12 hours of traffic jams - as one films his 30mph rolling blockade while fed-up drivers abandon cars and play football on carriageway.

Mr Dite, who also sounded a musical horn from his vehicle which played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme tune, was among about half a dozen vehicles in the procession and shouted 'give us our country back' while being filmed by a Wales Online reporter in the car with him – but he also admitted it was 'not a very good turnout'.

The mobile welder from Maesteg in Bridgend County Borough drives 30 miles to Cardiff for work each day, and said the cost of this is now 'upwards of £300' a week, having been around '£125 before the price increases'. Mr Dite added: 'I am on the verge of putting my gear in the shed. I would be better off on the dole. That's not me. I am a worker. Something's got to happen.'

The protests are understood to have been organised via social media under the banner Fuel Price Stand Against Tax. Among those gathering at Magor services, near Caldicot, was Vicky Stamper, 41.

The former HGV driver, from Cwmbran, said she and her partner Darren had to leave jobs in Bristol because they could not afford the fuel any longer.

She said: 'We had to leave those jobs because it was costing us £380 a week just to get to and from work. I then lost a job two weeks ago because the company couldn't afford to put fuel in that many lorries so last in, first out.'

She said the situation has taken an emotional toll on her and her family.

Talking about the disruption the protest will cause to drivers, Ms Stamper added: 'We're doing this for us and for them. If they want to have a moan, they should join us instead.'

Asked what she would ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson to do, she said: 'Resign.'

Martin Crowley, 48, from Cardiff, said he is a self-employed exotic animal courier and fuel prices are damaging his livelihood.

'Fuel cost me £280 over two days last week. It's unbelievable,' he said. 'You can hardly make a living anymore.'

In Wales, protest organisers were told by police before leaving they could not stop and must drive no slower than 30mph. Some protesters said they intend to meet in the middle and block the motorway.

❗️🇷🇺🇺🇦Just FYI: How much of Donbass Does Russia Still Have to Take?❗️

▪️All of Lugansk is under Russian control;
▪️Donetsk still has sizable amounts of territory still under Ukrainian control;
▪️Taking of Bahkmut and Slavyansk will be key to taking all of Donetsk;
▪️Bahkmut & Slavyansk is where the next major battles will most likely take place.

❗️🇷🇺🇺🇦Delusional Economist Piece Says Ukraine Can Still Win❗️

Titled, "How to win Ukraine’s long war," it fails to actually articulate any specific remedies for Ukraine's current defeat...

The Economist:

▪️Admits Ukraine is losing Donbass;
▪️Admits Ukraine is outgunned;
▪️Admits that the West's military industrial base cannot keep up with Russia's;
▪️Claims the West can "continue to press sanctions" but gives no specifics;
▪️Claims NATO weapons "have longer range and greater accuracy" when in reality, they don't nor are they being sent in enough numbers to matter either way;

It also claims that Russia is "freezing Europe," when in reality, it is Europe who refuses to buy Russian energy at a time they are unable to find an alternative.

To think some people actually pay money to read The Economist...

Lavrov - on the closure of the Russian embassy in Bulgaria: "[Expulsion of our diplomats] is not an independent decision by the acting prime minister, who has an absolutely unambiguous pro-American orientation and is ready to fulfil any wish of his sovereign. And these wishes are to kill the historical memory in Bulgarians, to destroy the foundation of relations that were forged in the common struggle for independence. This policy of Washington extends not only to Bulgaria, they also want to kill the historical memory of other Orthodox nations in the Balkans.
The people whom Bulgaria illegally expelled ensured the vital activity of our diplomatic missions. After this trick, the embassy is not able to work normally. Naturally, we will reciprocate our Bulgarian colleagues."

📹 Footage of Lisichansk after being liberated from Ukrainian radicals by Russian Armed Forces

◽️ The final stage of the successful operation for the liberation of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) was the liberation of Lisichansk. The Russian Federation Armed Forces, in coordination with the units of the LPR People's Militia, have dislodged Ukrainian radicals from the republic.

◽️ Neither social infrastructure, nor residential buildings have received any damage during the assault in Lisichansk.

#MoD #rRussia #Ukraine
@mod_russia_en

Russian Oil exports February-June 2022

Donetsk under Ukrainian shelling today -

Truss told MPs last week she was supportive of the idea that the government could seize frozen Russian assets in the UK and redistribute them to victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

She said: “I am supportive of the concept. We are looking at it very closely. The Canadians have in fact just passed legislation This is an issue that we are working on jointly with the Home Office and the Treasury, but I certainly agree with the concept. We just need to get the specifics of it right.”

She said the initiative would “most probably” need legislation but not necessarily.

The funds seized could be supplied either to individuals in a form of reparations or to the Ukrainian state. At present the UK can suspend Russian assets under the Economic Crime Act for 56 days and roll over the suspension for a further 56 days. In that period the owner of the asset cannot benefit from the asset in any way.

In her speech to the conference, Truss will claim the UK will position itself as Ukraine’s key partner in the recovery process and claim it has already offered $1.5bn to the country through multilateral loan guarantees and more than £100m in bilateral support.