US economist Jeffrey Sachs praised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as “the only European leader who sees the situation in Ukraine realistically”, in an interview published in the daily Magyar Nemzet on Thursday. Sachs, a professor of Columbia University, said Orbán “grasped” that the war in Ukraine was “pointless and unnecessary”, brought about by the enlargement of NATO. “Unlike other European leaders, Orbán also recognises that Russia will not concede defeat on the battleground without escalating the conflict into a nuclear war,” he said. To stop the war, the US should pledge not to enlarge NATO with Ukraine and Georgia, and Ukraine should declare itself a neutral state. The UN Security Council and states like Germany, Türkiye and Brazil should guarantee maintaining the peace treaty, he said. Further, NATO should “strictly curb” weapon deliveries to Ukraine, which in turn should receive a timeline to join the EU, he said. Sanctions should be withdrawn, he added.