Twenty Years After: Russia warned Nato against expansion in 2001

It used to be the 50 year rule, then the 30 year rule and now British government papers are released after around 20 years.

We learnt today that in early 2001, Anthony Blair told the new American Vice-President Cheney that Vladimir Putin was a Russian patriot, sensitive to Russia's "loss of respect" in the world, and had a similar "mindset" to Charles de Gaulle, though the two men were not directly comparable. Exactly my opinion.

Mr Putin told Mr Blair that he did not want to be seen as anti-Nato, but the Russian defence minister Igor Sergeyev told his Nato counterparts that further enlargement would be a major political error, in response to which Moscow would “take appropriate steps”.

Mr Putin was friendly to Mr Blair but a briefing note from January 2001 to the Prime Minister said that Russian spies continued to operate as during the Cold War. It listed many assurances that Mr Putin has given that were false, including that Russia would not help Iran develop nuclear weapons.

Mr Putin is a paradox, a shameless liar who nevertheless also tells the truth quite often, as in his May 9th speech, when he explained why he invaded Ukraine because of what he thinks is US aggression.