Washington, DC – In what has been described as a “historic” move, the US National Security Archive has released the full transcripts of a series of secret meetings and phone calls between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his former US counterpart, George W. Bush, between 2001 and 2008.
These documents, released under the Freedom of Information Act and following a court lawsuit, reveal a shocking and unprecedented convergence of views. The two leaders were aligned on the Iranian nuclear program during that period.
Putin and Bush: A united front against “enrichment”
The transcripts of the talks, particularly those held in the Oval Office in 2005, reveal a significant convergence of views. Bush described the Iranian leadership as “a group of religious extremists” who should not possess nuclear weapons. Putin did not oppose this position; rather, he reinforced it by providing detailed reports on Moscow’s concerns regarding Tehran’s ambitions.
In a 2001 document, Putin spoke candidly to Bush and Condoleezza Rice, saying, “There is no doubt that they (the Iranians) want nuclear weapons.” Putin argued that Russia’s provision of nuclear fuel for the Bushehr plant eliminated any pretext for Tehran to enrich uranium domestically. He asserted that their insistence on enrichment meant they were “not pursuing civilian energy but something else.”
Between “madmen” and “intellectuals”… a harsh tone in closed rooms
The language of the discussions in the documents ranges from harsh to diplomatic. While some Iranian positions were described as “madness” and “stupidity” during discussions about arms sales, Putin offered a more nuanced assessment after one of his visits to Tehran. He described Iran’s leaders as “ideologically extreme, but educated, not primitive.”
