The United States behaved arrogantly after the Cold War. How can equal relations be built when the United States and the West are in a situation? - declared Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, former general secretary of the Communist Party.
In an interview published on Friday with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his resignation, Gorbachev recalled that in the West, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, "there was a mood of victory, above all in the United States."
They "declared themselves the victors of the Cold War," and as victors, the West decided to build a "new empire." According to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning politician, this led to the expansion of NATO.
The former Soviet leader resigned from his presidency on December 25, 1991, sealing the fate of the Soviet Union.
Gorbachev made his statement against the backdrop of renewed tensions between Russia and the West. Massive troop formations along the Ukrainian border have raised concerns in the West that Russia might attack its neighbor. However, the Kremlin denies this and accuses Ukraine and NATO of provocative behavior.
Among other things, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded written security guarantees that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would not expand further to the east or establish additional bases in the territory of the former Soviet member republics.
At his traditional end-of-the-year press conference held on Thursday, the Russian president said that so far there have been positive American reactions to Russia's proposals for security guarantees, indicating a willingness to negotiate.
A spokesman for the White House noted in this context that the United States is ready to start diplomatic dialogue at the beginning of January.
MTI
Photo: MTI
