World hails ‘one-of-a-kind’ Gorbachev

World leaders were quick to pay tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who oversaw the collapse of the USSR.

Mikhail Gorbachev addresses residents in Siauliai, Lithuania, in 1990, 18 months before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Picture: AFP

World leaders were quick to pay tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who oversaw the collapse of the USSR, a pivotal turning point in world history.

US President Joe Biden credited Gorbachev with having “the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it”.

“The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people,” he said.

Anthony Albanese praised Gorbachev and said he “changed the world for the better” for his contributions to ending the Cold War.

The Prime Minister Albanese called the reformist leader “one of the true giants of the 20th century”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his “deep sympathies”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

He said Mr Putin, a former KGB agent who had an ambiguous relationship with Gorbachev, would send a telegram of condolences to the late leader’s family and friends.

UN chief Antonio Guterres praised Gorbachev as “a one-of-a-kind statesman who changed the course of history” and “did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War”.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen hailed Gorbachev as a “trusted and respected leader” who “opened the way for a free Europe”.

His “crucial role” in bringing down the Iron Curtain, which symbolised the division of the world into communist and capitalist blocs, and ending the Cold War left a legacy “we will not forget”, she tweeted.

French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as a “man of peace”, saying he “opened a path of liberty for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history”.

British PM Boris Johnson said he “always admired the courage and integrity” Gorbachev showed to bring the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion.

“In a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all,” he said in a Twitter post, referring to Moscow’s offensive in its former Soviet neighbour.

AFP