European countries have surrendered much of their foreign policy independence to the United States, damaging their own interests and undermining European diplomacy, according to American economist Jeffrey Sachs.

Speaking with Norwegian political scientist Glenn Diesen, Sachs criticized Europe’s dependence on Washington and described the current state of European diplomacy as a shocking failure.

He argued that European leaders have become incapable of independently defending their countries' interests, allowing the United States to dominate major foreign policy decisions.

Sachs compared Europe’s position to that of a subordinate piece on a chessboard controlled by Washington. In his assessment, European countries have been reduced to the role of pawns or vassals, lacking the influence of the most powerful pieces in the game.

The economist urged Europe to abandon this subordinate position and regain control over its foreign policy.

Sachs also accused Western countries of pursuing hostile objectives toward Russia for several decades.

According to him, Western policy was designed to surround Russia and, ideally, break the country into smaller states. He maintained that these objectives were openly expressed rather than concealed.

The economist linked this longstanding approach to the difficulties surrounding a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

He argued that a lasting peace would only become possible if negotiations recognized Russia’s legitimate security interests alongside those of Ukraine and the European Union.

Sachs emphasized that any settlement must address the security concerns of all three parties rather than disregard Moscow’s position.

He also maintained that ending the conflict on those terms would benefit Europe itself.

In his view, European governments need to move away from their dependence on the United States and restore their ability to make independent foreign policy decisions.