On December 25, 1991, exactly 30 years ago, Mikhail Gorbachev announced on television his resignation from the post of President of the USSR, resulting in the disappearance of the Soviet bloc and the end of the Cold War. Three decades later, relations between Russia and Western countries could not be more strained. For Mikhail Gorbachev the origin of this crisis is to be found on the side of the United States.
The United States had an attitude ” arrogant “, after the disappearance of the USSR, according to last soviet leader. ” It went to their heads, arrogance, self-righteousness, they proclaimed themselves winners in the cold war when we had together saved the world from confrontation, from the nuclear arms race. », Affirms Mikhail Gorbachev in an interview with the Russian press agency Ria novosti, before wondering: ” How can we hope for equitable relations with the United States, with the West, in this situation? “
Vladimir Poutine wants to obtain from the United States and its NATO allies a written commitment prohibiting any future enlargement of the Alliance to the east and any military cooperation in what Russia considers to be its zone of influence, in particular the Ukraine.
A Paris charter fallen into oblivion
For Mikhail Gorbachev, the Western camp wanted ” building a new empire, that’s where the idea of NATO enlargement was born “. He regrets that the Charter of Paris for a new Europe proposing a model based on cooperation and conflict prevention, adopted in 1990, has fallen into oblivion.
But Mikhail Gorbachev also believes that it is not too late to correct the situation, welcoming the talks between Russian and American representatives scheduled for January in Geneva. The former Soviet leader says he hopes “ that there will be a result, which will allow all European countries to feel safe “.
►To listen: Ukraine, an unstable country at the gates of Europe