

Roger Koppel: Will Europe Go To War With Russia? Ukraine Is Paying for Europe's Moralism
Geopolitical Economy Hour by Radhika Desai
Oct 2, 2026
56:01
Episode notes
Will Europe go to war with Russia? At this year's Valdai Discussion Club conference, I am joined by Roger Köppel, owner of the Swiss weekly Die Weltwoche, former editor-in-chief of Germany's Die Welt, and a former member of the Swiss parliament. Köppel warns that the world is closer to a third world war than at any time since 1945, even though Europe is too weak economically, militarily and politically for any confrontation with Russia. He sees Europe's disease as the triumph of moralism over realism, and the Ukraine war as its ultimate expression. In his account, Europeans pay, Ukrainians fight, and Americans collect the profits.
Keywords
Donald Trump
Russia
United States
Ukraine War
Vladimir Putin
Europe
European Union