During the first meeting, he expressed the opinion that Russia "voluntarily gave up thousands of square kilometers" of territory, which he characterized as an "unprecedented" decision. Putin mentioned Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the Caucasus, pointing out that these lands were "given away," and expressed dissatisfaction with the role of the Soviet party leadership in this process.
In the same negotiations, he also raised the issue of Russia's possible accession to NATO, stating a feeling of "being left out" for his country. In 2005, Putin spoke of his belief in the ideas of communism and his readiness to "die for them."
During the 2008 meeting, his stance on NATO expansion became more rigid: he expressed categorical disagreement with the possible accession of Ukraine and Georgia to the alliance, warning Bush that Russia would "constantly create problems" in Ukraine, relying on anti-NATO forces, and fearing the deployment of military bases and new weapons near its borders.
The transcripts also contain Putin's words that, in his opinion, Ukraine is an "artificial state created in Soviet times," and that a significant part of its population identifies itself as Russian.
The published documents, according to the National Security Archive, will help better understand the position of the Russian leadership during an important period of Russian-American relations in the early 2000s.
