[3] During the Gulf War, he was part of a BBC team covering the conflict and spent eight weeks as an embedded journalist with the British Army.
He has also interviewed cultural figures including Gore Vidal, Annie Lennox, Charlize Theron, Vladimir Ashkenazy and William Shatner.
[10] Sackur has been a regular attendee and moderator at the Yalta European Strategy annual meetings founded and sponsored by Ukrainian oligarch Victor Pinchuk.
The Lemkin Institute further criticized Sackur for trying to suggest the word Artsakh (the historical Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh) was illegitimate and for ignoring the rights of self-determination.
"[16] The interview gained widespread international attention as many in the media accused Sackur of Western hypocrisy regarding carbon emissions and condescension towards developing countries.
[20] Robert Sackur joined the Labour Party in 1962,[21] and with 23-year-old Stanley Henig unsuccessfully attempted to stand as a candidate in Lincolnshire at the 1964 general election.
[19] Undismayed, he contested the candidacy for Louth without success in December 1967,[24] before being chosen as the candidate for Holland with Boston in November 1968, coming second once again at the 1970 general election.
[28] In May 1970, Sallie won Toynton St Peter division on Spilsby Rural District Council with 79 votes, having stood as a Labour candidate.
[29] Robert Sackur's brother, John, had also attended Oundle and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, studying Archaeology; he died on 24 January 1986.