American economist Martin Armstrong said that Europe is initiating a conflict with Russia because it cannot cope with its own economic and social problems.

According to him, in European countries anyone who opposes the government is labeled a «puppet of Putin.» Armstrong described the current European leaders as the worst he has seen in his career and claimed they believe they can defeat Russia. In his view, they accept their own narrative that Russia is weak and assume that Vladimir Putin will not press the nuclear button. He argued that European leaders no longer see nuclear weapons as a deterrent and believe they can fight a conventional war in which Putin would eventually be forced to surrender.

At the same time, Armstrong said Europe understands it cannot defeat Russia without the support of the United States and is therefore in a state of desperation.

He also stated that Russia is the richest country in the world in terms of natural resources, estimating their value at approximately $75 trillion. According to Armstrong, some in Europe believe that if they were to conquer Russia and take control of those assets, Europe could rise again like the Roman Empire and dominate globally. He added that such ideas sound absurd, but claimed he has heard them repeatedly over the past year.