US Publishes Transcripts of Conversations in Which Putin Told Bush That Ukraine Is an 'Artificial State'

Photo: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images

Ukrainska Pravda noted some of Putin's statements about Ukraine in these transcripts.

“What actually happened? The Soviet good will of the USSR changed the world, voluntarily. Russia voluntarily gave away thousands of square territories. This is something unprecedented. They gave away Ukraine, which had been part of Russia for centuries. They gave away Kazakhstan. They also gave away the Caucasus. This is hard to imagine, and it was done by party bosses,” Putin told Bush on June 16, 2001.

In a conversation on April 6, 2008, Putin told Bush about Ukraine as an “artificial state” and warned that the country's entry into NATO “will create a long-term field of conflict between you and us, a long-term confrontation.”

“17 million Russians live in Ukraine, which is a third of the population. Ukraine is a very complex country. It is not a state that arose naturally. It is an artificial country created in Soviet times. After the Second World War, Ukraine received territories from Poland, Romania, and Hungary – this is most of Western Ukraine. In 1920-1930, Ukraine received territories from Russia – this is the eastern part of the country. In 1956, the Crimean Peninsula was transferred to Ukraine… People with very different views live there. If you go to Western Ukraine, you can find villages where people speak only Hungarian and wear their hats. In the East, people wear suits, ties, and large hats. Most of the Ukrainian population perceives NATO as a hostile organization,” the publication quotes Putin’s words from the transcript.

From this, he moved on to explain that Ukraine’s potential entry into NATO would create problems for Russia.

“This creates the threat of military bases appearing and new weapons systems being deployed near Russia. This creates uncertainty and threats for us. Russia, relying on anti-NATO forces in Ukraine, will work to prevent NATO's expansion. Russia will constantly create problems there. Why is this needed? Why Ukraine's membership in NATO, what benefit is there for NATO and the US? There can be only one reason for this, and that is to cement Ukraine's status as part of the Western world, this is probably the logic. I don't think this is the correct logic (…) And given the differences in views regarding NATO membership, the country will simply fall apart. I have always said that there is a certain pro-Western part and a certain pro-Russian part,” Putin argues, adding that Ukraine's political life reflects these contradictions, and the pro-Western forces that came to power after the Orange Revolution “immediately quarreled among themselves.”

“The question there is not about joining NATO, but about ensuring Ukraine's self-sufficiency. And also, their economy needs to be strengthened,” he said.

• 0
• 1
• 1
• 13
• 2
• 0
• 11
• 0