World leaders hail Mikhail Gorbachev's 'courage and integrity' after death aged 91
30 August 2022, 21:47 | Updated: 31 August 2022, 00:00
The former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev has been remembered for his "courage and integrity" following his death aged 91.
Mr Gorbachev's death was reported by Russian news agencies Tass, RIA Novosti and Interfax, who all cited the Central Clinical Hospital on Tuesday evening.
They said he died after a long and serious illness, but no other details were given.
The death of Mr Gorbachev, who helped end the Cold War, has inspired an outpouring of tributes from world leaders.
Many made reference to the timing of his death during the worst period of relations between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.
The president of the European Commission said Mr Gorbachev's legacy is "one we will not forget".
In a Twitter post, Ursula von der Leyen said: "Mikhail Gorbachev was a trusted and respected leader.
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"He played a crucial role to end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain.
"It opened the way for a free Europe.
"This legacy is one we will not forget. R.I.P Mikhail Gorbachev."
Mr Gorbachev was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union before it broke up in 1991, and was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991.
He won the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Cold War and “for the leading role he played in the radical changes in East-West relations”.
He spent his later years collecting accolades and awards from all corners of the world.
Mr Gorbachev, who took over in 1985, is best known for opening up the USSR and for his rapprochement with the West, but he was unable to prevent his country collapsing in 1991.
Many Russians blame him and his reformist policies for the country's demise.
He was blamed for the implosion of the Soviet Union - a once-fearsome superpower whose territory fractured into 15 separate nations. His former allies deserted him and made him a scapegoat for the country's troubles.
Internationally he reached arms control deals with the US and refused to intervene when eastern European nations rose up against their Communist rulers.
He is seen in the West as an architect of reform who created conditions for the end of the Cold War.
Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind told LBC it's a tribute to Mr Gorbachev that the Cold war ended peacefully.
"The Soviet Union ceased to exist, communism effectively disappeared from Europe and we had the liberation of all those countries in eastern Europe that had been dominated by the Soviet Union for so long," he told Ben Kentish.
"Now that required statesmanship of an extraordinary agreement and I think the world should be very grateful to what he achieved at that time."
World leaders took to social media to praise Mr Gorbachev for his "courage" and leadership.
Boris Johnson has said that he is "saddened" to hear that Mr Gorbachev has died, in a "time of Putin's aggression in Ukraine".
In a Twitter post, he said: "I'm saddened to hear of the death of Gorbachev.
"I always admired the courage and integrity he showed in bringing 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."
Broadcaster and author John Simpson has said that he is "really sad" that the "decent" and "well-intentioned" former Soviet president has died.
In a Twitter post Mr Simpson, who interviewed Mr Gorbachev, wrote: "Really sad that Mikhail Gorbachev has died: a decent, well-intentioned, principled man who tried to rescue the unrescuable."
He added: "In private he was charming and surprisingly amusing. It wasn't his fault things went so wrong."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said Mikhail Gorbachev had "changed the world".
Paying tribute following the death of the former Soviet president, Mr Martin said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the most significant political figures of the late 20th century.
"At a time when the threat to the world of nuclear destruction was very real, he saw the urgent need for rapprochement with the West and for greater openness and reform - glasnost and perestroika - in the then Soviet Union.
"His leadership helped to end the arms race between the East and West, end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since the Second World War.
"That contributed directly to the enlargement of the European Union that came to fruition during Ireland's 2004 presidency of the EU.
"There are very few figures who can be said to have truly changed the world. Mikhail Gorbachev was one.
"He will long be remembered."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Gorbachev was "one of the great figures" of last century who will "forever be remembered".
In a tweet, he said: "One of the great figures of the 20th Century, Mikhail Gorbachev's pursuit of reform forged a path for diplomacy over conflict.
"He will forever be remembered as the last leader of the Soviet Union who had the courage and conviction to end the Cold War."
