In 2001, Putin warned Bush that Ukraine's accession to NATO would have serious consequences.

【Putin told Bush in 2001 about the consequences of Ukraine joining NATO】

According to a report by Ukrainian media (RBC), the U.S. National Archives has released a batch of historical documents, including conversations between Putin and Bush regarding Ukraine. It is worth noting that during most of Bush's presidency, his relationship with Putin was very close, and they established a personal friendship. In 2001, when Bush launched the war in Afghanistan, Putin not only actively provided intelligence on Afghanistan to the United States, but also actively persuaded Central Asian countries to allow U.S. troops to be stationed there as a forward base for attacks. From today's perspective, Putin's actions at the time were indeed unexpected.

Historical documents show that in 2001, Putin clearly told Bush: If Kyiv became a member of NATO, it would cause long-term confrontation, even conflict, between Moscow and Washington. When Bush asked Putin why he said so, the latter replied: This is a "man-made" complex country, whose territory mainly comes from neighboring countries, and one-third of the population are Russians who believe that NATO is an adversarial organization. This statement does align with Putin's position, as he has always emphasized so-called "historical territories."

Putin further stated that Ukraine joining NATO would pose a significant threat to Russia, and they would strive to prevent any possibility of NATO expansion eastward.

In 2008, when NATO discussed the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO, Putin reiterated this view during his meeting with Bush, and he also told him: There have always been two factions within Ukraine, pro-Western and pro-Russian. Once power is completely in the hands of the pro-Western leadership, Ukraine will inevitably split.

Original text: toutiao.com/article/1852477755887628/

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