Gorbachev, even though he was frail enough, remained an ardent critic of Vladimir Putin’s policies for the country, especially the war on Ukraine even though he supported the move of the annexation of Crimea in 2014—point to be noted here is that Gorbachev had ancestors from Ukraine. But largely he has remained anti-war and worked mostly for bringing reforms and making relations with other countries even which can be understood by the fact that he had quite good relations with the leadership of the United Kingdom and the same paved the way for better relations with the US after the then UK Prime-Minister, Margaret Thatcher persuaded Ronald Reagan, the then President of US, to accept that Gorbachev was different from other Soviet leaders and that he can go an extra mile, beyond his brief.
And if Thatcher is to be believed then Gorbachev was, as she said, much less constrained, more charming, and open to discussion and debate, which in a way suggested and made it clear how different and dynamic Gorbachev was as a leader of the Soviet Union. Even on the Soviet’s offensive on Afghanistan, it was Gorbachev who kept advising against it and was persuading the Politburo to get out of there. The same became a reality when an accord was signed in 1988, marking the exit of the Soviets, with Gorbachev playing a vital role. Even in the unification of Europe, he played his role in leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is for the same that the Germans have time and again admired his commitment to the peaceful while globally he is being remembered as the greatest statesman.
Such was his political acumen that even political opponents were his fans for being bright, unconventional, and extraordinary; always underlined the role he played which impacted the course of history, not only for the Soviet Union but the entire world. What needs to be noted here is that those who worked with Gorbachev have talked about his sense of morality. He has been termed as a man with ethical positioning, filled with romanticism and idealism, and it was the combination of the same which led him to play a unique role domestically as well as globally. On the international front, the same mixture of these values and ideals also helped him to leave behind his footprints. But such a great leader, being remembered for his great contribution to world politics, globally, who changed the course of history, won’t get a state funeral back home, strange, isn’t it?
