June 16, 2001: Russian President Putin Warns President Bush about Islamic Terrorism

Russian President Vladimir Putin warns President Bush about the danger posed by Islamic extremists who he says could cause a “major catastrophe.” [Rice, 2011, pp. 62; Stent, 2014, pp. 60-61] The two leaders are meeting for the first time at a summit in Slovenia, in a castle near the country’s capital, Ljubljana. [New York Times, 6/16/2001] The purpose of the summit is for the American president “to cut through any tension and forge a connection with Putin,” Bush will later write. [Bush, 2010, pp. 195] The two men discuss a wide range of subjects. Among other things, Putin mentions the threat posed by Islamic extremists. He “pointedly warned Bush about the dangers of Islamic fundamentalist-bred terrorism emanating from Russia’s southern rim, a danger that he believed the United States did not take seriously enough,” foreign policy expert Angela Stent will describe. Furthermore, he is particularly critical of the support given by Pakistan to the Taliban and al-Qaeda. He “excoriated the [Pakistani Prime Minister] Pervez Musharraf regime for its support of extremists, and for the connections of the Pakistani army and intelligence services to the Taliban and al-Qaeda,” National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who is in Slovenia with Bush, will write. These extremists, Putin tells Bush, are “all being funded by Saudi Arabia” and it is “only a matter of time until it resulted in a major catastrophe.” [Rice, 2011, pp. 62; Stent, 2014, pp. 61] Russia reportedly warns the US of a possible forthcoming terrorist attack around this time. For example, its intelligence agencies tell the US that suicide pilots are training for attacks on American targets at some point this summer, according to Fox News (see August 2001). [Fox News, 5/17/2002] And just two days before 9/11, Putin will call Bush and warn him that something that has been “long in preparation” is “about to happen” (see September 9, 2001). [Baker and Glasser, 2005]