President of the USSR between 1990 and 1991, the statesman, a resolute reformer, had worked to end the cold war between the Eastern and Western blocs.
The last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, died Tuesday, August 30 at the age of 91 in Russia, said a hospital quoted by Russian news agencies. “Today in the evening (Tuesday), after a long serious illness, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev died“Said the Central Clinical Hospital (TSKB) dependent on the Russian presidency.
Coming to power in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev launched a wave of political and economic reforms aimed at modernizing and democratizing the Soviet Union, which was facing serious crises. Supporter of a policy of rapprochement with the West, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. Between 1990 and 1991, he served as President of the Soviet Union, before finally having to resign on December 25, 1991, which led to the end of the USSR.
Putin’s condolences
The disappearance of the statesman aroused many reactions, especially in the French political class. Valérie Pécresse thus praised in a tweet “the man of perestroika and the peaceful end of the USSR and the communist bloc“. Former Minister of Solidarity Damien Abad hailed a “symbol of the end of the cold war“, just like the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi.
Internationally, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that he always “admired the courage and integrityby Gorbachev. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praiseda trustworthy leader (who) paved the way for a free Europe“. Finally, according to the Interfax news agency, the current Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his sincere condolences.