“Without Gorbachev, peaceful revolutions would be unthinkable.” Foreign politicians about the death of the Secretary General

Death Mikhail Gorbachev provoked a reaction from politicians, both current and retired, around the world. Vedomosti collected what they said about the last General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and his contribution to the establishment of peace on earth.

I am saddened by the news of Gorbachev’s death. I have always admired the courage and integrity he showed in bringing the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion.

The peoples of Eastern Europe and the German people and, in the end, the Russian people are deeply indebted to him for inspiration, for the courage with which he came out with these [выдвинутыми им] ideas of freedom. He will still be remembered in history as a man who began historical transformations for the benefit of mankind and the Russian people.

Personally, he was very charming, very pleasant, not very politicized, despite the fact that he came from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and then, at a later age, he endured isolation with great dignity.

Gorbachev was a credible and respected leader. He played a key role in ending the Cold War and bringing down the Iron Curtain.

He opened the way to a free Europe. His legacy is one that we will never forget.

Without Mikhail Gorbachev, peaceful revolutions in the countries of the Eastern Bloc, in our country, would be unthinkable. His words encouraged us, made me strong. I bow before his achievements, before his life and remain with thoughts of his family and friends.

Mikhail Gorbachev was a man of remarkable vision. Few high-ranking Soviet officials had the courage to admit that something needed to change. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have seen him do this and more. He worked with the President [Рональдом] Reagan to reduce the nuclear arsenals of our two countries, to the relief of people around the world who are praying for an end to the nuclear arms race.

He believed in glasnost and perestroika not just as slogans, but as a way forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation.

He was the criminal who ordered the brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in Vilnius, Tbilisi, Alma-Ata, Baku and other cities [после провозглашения их независимости]. There was no repentance. Such memories. Plus, he signed the surrender of the Soviet Union.

The policies of Mikhail Gorbachev contributed to the fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He was an outstanding figure in world politics in the second half of the 20th century. May he rest in peace.

I am saddened by the news of the departure of Mikhail Gorbachev. He was a man who wanted to give a better life to his people.

Mikhail Gorbachev made a positive contribution to promoting the normalization of relations between China and the Soviet Union, we mourn his passing and express our condolences to his family.