Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001 privately warned then US President George W. Bush against overlooking Pakistan’s emergence as a nuclear-armed state, questioning why the West appeared unconcerned about a country he described as having “no democracy” but possessing nuclear weapons.
The remarks were made during a personal meeting between the two leaders on June 16, 2001, in Slovenia, according to newly released transcripts of a restricted conversation. The documents have now been made public by the National Security Archive.
Putin Called Pakistan A Junta With Nuclear Weapons
During their first face-to-face meeting, Putin raised Pakistan as a key concern, directly challenging Western silence on the issue.
“I am concerned about Pakistan,” Putin told Bush. “It is just a junta with nuclear weapons. It is no democracy, yet the West does not criticise it. Should talk about it.”
Far from dismissing the concern, Bush acknowledged the risks. Putin, for his part, made his unease explicit, stating that Pakistan’s nuclear status “makes me nervous.”
Fears of Nuclear Proliferation to Iran and North Korea
A central theme of the discussion was the fear of nuclear leakage from Pakistan. Bush told Putin that Washington was deeply worried about possible transfers of nuclear material and technical know-how from Pakistan to Iran and North Korea.
The transcripts reveal US scepticism over assurances provided by then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, even after nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan was placed under house arrest. Bush is recorded as saying he repeatedly raised the issue with Musharraf, expressing doubts about whether Islamabad was being fully transparent.
Pakistani Uranium Found in Iranian Centrifuges
Putin informed Bush that uranium of Pakistani origin had been detected in Iranian centrifuges. The revelation reinforced longstanding US allegations of illicit nuclear proliferation linked to Pakistan.
Bush acknowledged that Iran had failed to declare this material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), describing the omission as a clear violation of international nuclear safeguards.
Bush warned that Tehran was actively “testing and probing” the West, searching for the weakest link among the EU-3—Britain, France, and Germany.
Putin’s cautionary remarks about Pakistan came nearly a decade before then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s now-famous warning.
“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours,” Clinton said at a joint press conference in 2011.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
