Overview
- Verbatim records from 2001–2008 were published this week by the National Security Archive following a FOIA lawsuit and NARA processing.
- At their first meeting in 2001, Vladimir Putin called Pakistan “just a junta with nuclear weapons,” questioning Western tolerance of its military rule.
- In a 2005 Oval Office exchange, Putin said uranium of Pakistani origin was found in Iranian centrifuges, and George W. Bush called the omission to the IAEA a violation.
- Bush told Putin he pressed Pervez Musharraf on transfers to Iran and North Korea, noting A. Q. Khan’s house arrest while doubting Pakistan’s candor.
- The transcripts depict early U.S.–Russian coordination on non-proliferation before relations frayed, as Indian officials now cite the documents to reaffirm long-standing concerns.