Declassified: Putin Asked the US for Russia's NATO Membership as Early as 2001.

According to ТСН: In 2001, Vladimir Putin expressed the opinion that Ukraine's accession to NATO would lead to a prolonged confrontation between Moscow and Washington.

This information was disclosed by the public research organization "National Security Archive" at George Washington University.

Putin justified his position, stating that "Ukraine is an artificially created state, with territories and population that have historical ties to Russia."

"I would like to emphasize that the accession of a country like Ukraine to NATO will create a long-term zone of confrontation, a long-term conflict for you and for us," Putin said then.

He also added:

"This will not be news for you, and I am not expecting a response. I just want to say this plainly."

Putin claimed that Ukraine "could split" if it joined NATO, as he believed there is "a certain pro-Western part and a pro-Russian part" in the country.

Earlier, declassified documents revealed that Putin had approached Bush Jr. with a request for Russia's NATO membership.

These statements, made by Putin over two decades ago, reflect his approaches to foreign policy regarding Ukraine. They also remind us of the complex historical and political ties between the two countries that continue to influence relations in the modern world.