The US declassified the conversation between Putin and Bush Jr. the day before the invasion of Iraq

Shortly before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, former US President George W. Bush had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is evidenced by declassified documents of the American government, published on January 7 by the National Security Archive, a public research organization.

According to the materials, the conversation between Putin and Bush took place on March 18, 2003. In the early morning of March 20, the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies began.

"This call is a kind of culmination of a series of telephone conversations that began long before March 2003, during which Putin tried to convince Bush not to invade Iraq," the publication notes.

The documents also say that, despite the lack of support from the Russian leader, Bush sought to maintain constructive relations with Moscow. In particular, he thanked Putin for "not stirring up anti-American sentiments," and stressed that he appreciated his position.

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