The Russian leader said in 2008 that it could lead to “long-term conflict” with Washington, according to transcripts of the talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his then-US counterpart, George W. Bush, almost two decades ago that attempts to make Ukraine a member of NATO could split the country apart and result in a confrontation between Moscow and Washington, records of conversations between the two leaders have revealed.

On Tuesday, the US National Security archives published verbatim transcripts of several exchanges between Putin and Bush throughout the 2000s.

During their first meeting in Slovenia in June 2001, the Russian…

Read the full article at RT.COM