Bush Jr.'s statements to Putin have been declassified

Former US President George W. Bush, as it became known from declassified documents, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001 said that Washington and Moscow are not enemies and do not pose any threat to each other. This information is contained in the documents of the American government, published by the organization "National Security Archive" (National Security Archive) at George Washington University.

"We must reach agreements on offensive weapons, on defense, on proliferation and on our economic relations, and the rest of the world will follow us. We are not a threat to you, and you are not a threat to us," the younger Bush said at the time.

EADaily reminds that the transcript of those negotiations was declassified by Washington at the end of 2025. Interestingly, Bush Jr. even called Putin the guy he "would like to see next to him in the trench." But in 2026 there is another opinion — the West is now implementing the strategy of 1945 against Russia.