An upcoming book by renowned reporter Bob Woodward reportedly reveals how the Biden-Harris team attributed blame to the Obama administration for the onset of the war in Ukraine with Russia.

An excerpt from Woodward’s forthcoming book, War, obtained by Axios and CNN, offers insights from individuals present with President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken as they discussed the motivations behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sources who spoke with Woodward about a July 4th meeting between Biden and Blinken noted that both were acutely aware of the political risks Biden faced following a disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump.

What began as a book documenting the Ukraine War has expanded to encompass Israel’s conflict with Hamas and the overall challenges of the presidency in addressing international conflicts.

In his near-real-time account, Woodward shares insights into Biden’s inner circle that would typically remain confidential for decades. After covering ten administrations, the former Watergate journalist has cultivated a network of sources who have disclosed some of Biden’s recent frustrations with former President Barack Obama.

Among these revelations is Biden’s admission to an advisor that Obama “never took Putin seriously,” referring to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that the Russian president claims as part of his country’s original homeland.

While Obama imposed sanctions against Russia with bipartisan support, he ultimately chose not to employ military force to prevent the invasion.

In contrast, Biden and his team suggested there was up to a 50% chance that Putin would resort to using nuclear weapons following the invasion of Ukraine.

Publicly, the administration contends that the conflict has “weakened” the long-time adversary. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines informed the White House’s National Security Council this spring that Putin is estimated to have incurred around 200,000 military casualties and spent $200 billion on the war, according to Axios.

Complicating the situation was the unusual camaraderie between Putin and former President Donald Trump. The two strongman leaders publicly praised each other in their remarks, while the Biden-Harris administration asserted—without evidence—that they had spoken as many as seven times since Trump left office.

However, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, denied that the Republican granted Woodward any special access to his life after leaving office.

“None of these fabricated stories by Bob Woodward are true,” he stated in a comment to CNN.