Western politicians evaluated the role of Mikhail Gorbachev in history

Thus, French President Emmanuel Macron called Gorbachev a man of the world. And he stressed that "his choice opened the way to freedom for the Russians."

“His commitment to peace in Europe has changed our common history,” the French president said.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, in turn, pointed out that the first president of the USSR was "a unique statesman who changed the course of history." Guterres is confident that the world has lost an outstanding global leader, “a tireless fighter for peace. The UN Secretary General admitted that he was "deeply saddened by his death."

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also spoke out, describing Grbachev as an authoritative and respected leader, recalling his swarms in the fall of the iron curtain and the end of the Cold War.

United States leader Joe Biden believes that Gorbachev "believed in glasnost and perestroika not just as slogans, but as a way forward" for the USSR after years of "isolation and deprivation." He stated that Gorbachev was a man who was not afraid to risk his career in order to achieve "a different future."

Recall that Mikhail Gorbachev died on August 30 at the age of 92. At present, the date of the funeral is not known, but it is known that he will be buried at the Novodevichy cemetery next to the grave of his wife.