Newly released transcripts of conversations two decades back between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then US President George W. Bush, made public this week by the “National Security Archive” have showed deep concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

The documents, covering meetings and calls from 2001 to 2008, highlight how both leaders viewed Pakistan,under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, as a major non-proliferation headache,

In their first personal meeting on 16 June 2001 in Slovenia, Putin voiced stark worries about the country’s stability. “I am concerned about Pakistan,” he told Bush. “It is just a junta with nuclear weapons. It is no democracy, yet the West does not criticize it. Should talk about it.”

Putin almost echoed views that India has held on Pakistan for decades. India has long expressed concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation record.

Bush described Russia as “part of the West and not an enemy”, while the two leaders expressed mutual respect-Bush later famously said he had looked into Putin’s soul and found him trustworthy.

Released earlier this week, after processing by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the documents provide rare insight into high-level discussions that shaped US-Russian cooperation on proliferation.