Madeleine Albright: ‘World is a mess’

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says the world has its share of crises at the moment, with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Libya, among others.

“To put it mildly, the world is a mess,” Albright said in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Specifically speaking on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Albright said Russian President Vladimir Putin “is in his own world.”

{mosads}”He has made up an awful lot of lies in terms of who is responsible for the fact that the Soviet Union disintegrated,” Albright said.

When asked if the impression was accurate that the U.S. is stepping back in conflicts abroad, from Russia’s annexation of Crimea to the increasing violence in Gaza, Albright said no.

“I think the thing that has changed is we don’t want to be the world’s policemen, the American people don’t,” Albright said. “What has to happen is we need to really work harder on partnerships.”

But Albright criticized the European Union for not speaking up as quickly as the U.S. on the Ukrainian crisis.

“The president has been pushing Europeans, and the Europeans have to step up,” Albright said. “I am appalled, frankly, at the slowness of the Europeans in understanding what is going on in Europe itself, and being not only supportive of Ukraine but making clear that the kind of behavior Putin is engaged in is illegal and that we have a responsibility together.”

On Friday, the European Union announced a new round of sanction on Russia. Russia fired back, claiming the sanctions would encourage terrorists, and weaken security in the region.

The U.S. said it had “evidence” that Russia was firing artillery from within its territory at Ukrainian military troops late last week. That, coupled with the Malaysia Airliner that was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a missile, tensions between Russia and Ukraine have increased.