Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, reacted Saturday to the death of George H.W. Bush by recalling his role in resolving the Cold War while in the White House.
“Many of my memories are linked to him. We happened to work together in years of great changes. It was a dramatic time demanding huge responsibility from everyone. The result was the end of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race,” Mr. Gorbachev said in a statement issued following Bush’s passing Friday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.
“I pay tribute to George Bush’s contribution towards this historic achievement. He was a genuine partner,” Mr. Gorbachev added.
The 41st president of the United States, Bush died Friday at the age of 94.
Bush and Mr. Gorbachev, 87, led the U.S. and Soviet Union, respectively, when the later dissolved in 1991.
Bush was vice president during the Reagan administration when the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in 1987, a bilateral agreement that effectively saw both powers promise to eliminate their stockpile of short- and intermediate-rang missiles and missile launchers.
“He’ll be admired for ending the Cold War on terms that Americans never could have dreamt possible for the 45 years of the Cold War,” presidential historian Michael Beschloss told USA Today. “It would not have happened if George Bush hadn’t been there….He formed a relationship with Gorbachev of trust that encouraged Gorbachev to give up a lot of concessions.”
Bush has “done a lot to strengthen Russian-American cooperation on the issues of global security” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a separate statement Saturday.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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