Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, Russian news agencies reported. What some of the biggest world leaders said about Gorbachev, Reuters reports.

Mykhailo GorbachevPhoto: MediaPunch / BACKGRID / Backgrid USA / Profimedia

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, BBC interview, December 14, 1984:

  • “I like Mr. Gorbachev. We can do business together.”

US President Ronald Reagan, speech at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987:

  • “There is one sign that the Soviet Union can make that would be unmistakable, that would dramatically advance the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you want peace, if you want prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you want liberalization: come here to these gates!
  • “Mr. Gorbachev, open these gates! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

US President George W. Bush at a press conference with Gorbachev after negotiations, December 3, 1989:

  • “For forty years, the Western Alliance stood for freedom. And now, as the Soviet Union continues to reform, we stand on the threshold of a new era in US-Soviet relations… I am optimistic that as the West patiently works together and cooperates more and more with the Soviet Union, we can achieve a lasting peace and transform relations between the East and the West for strong cooperation”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, congratulating Gorbachev on his 91st birthday on March 2, 2022, TASS quotes:

  • “You have lived a long, rich life and rightly deserved great prestige and recognition. It is pleasant that today your multifaceted work contributes to the implementation of much-needed social, educational, charitable projects, as well as the development of international humanitarian cooperation.”

Press release of the Norwegian Nobel Committee from October 15, 1990:

  • “Dramatic changes have taken place in the relations between the East and the West in recent years. The confrontation was replaced by negotiations. Old European nation-states regained their freedom. The arms race is slowing down… These historic changes are thriving. due to several factors, but in 1990 the Nobel Committee wishes to recognize Mikhail Gorbachev for his numerous and decisive contributions.”