Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs told members of the European Union on Wednesday that he had informed President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, before the breakout of the war between Ukraine and Russia on Feb. 24, 2022, that it could be avoided if Sullivan “publicly” announced that Ukraine would not join NATO.

“I had an hour call with Jake Sullivan in the White House begging, ‘Jake, avoid the war. You can avoid the war. All you have to do is say, NATO will not enlarge to Ukraine,'” Sachs said at an event called “The Geopolitics of Peace.”

“And he said to me, ‘Oh, NATO’s not going to enlarge to Ukraine. Don’t worry about it.'”

During his speech, Sachs appeared to allude to the diplomatic cable titled “Nyet means Nyet” sent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO, the secretary of defense, and the secretary of state on Feb. 1, 2008, which outlined how the entire Russian political class, not just Russian President Vladimir Putin, viewed NATO’s eastward encroachment toward Russia’s border as the brightest of red lines.

The Columbia professor added, “I said, ‘Jake, say’ ‘Ukraine won’t join NATO’ publicly.”

“Oh, no. No. No. We can’t say it publicly,” Sullivan replied.

“[I] said, ‘Jake, you’re going to have a war over something that isn’t even going to happen?’ He said, ‘Don’t worry, Jeff. There will be no war.'”

Sachs went on to decry that “these are not very bright people. I’m telling you, if I can give you my honest view, they’re not very bright people.'”

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.