Overview
- The National Security Archive published verbatim records processed by the US National Archives after a FOIA lawsuit, releasing the Bush–Putin conversations this week.
- In their first meeting on June 16, 2001, Vladimir Putin warned George W. Bush that Pakistan was “just a junta with nuclear weapons,” pressing concerns about its stability and oversight.
- A September 2005 Oval Office discussion recorded both leaders flagging suspected transfers from Pakistan to Iran and North Korea and revisiting the A. Q. Khan network despite his house arrest.
- Putin said uranium of Pakistani origin was found in Iranian centrifuges and Bush called Iran’s failure to disclose it to the IAEA a violation, underscoring shared anxiety about illicit nuclear flows.
- The documents illuminate early post‑9/11 cooperation on non‑proliferation and have renewed attention to regional risks, with recent Indian statements again highlighting Pakistan’s proliferation record.