The complex Gorbachev represents a complex era

Yangcheng Evening News International commentator Qian Kejin

Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, died on August 30.

When evaluating Gorbachev's life, many analysis, especially some Western media, deliberately emphasized that he was "highly praised in the West, but he was accused in his motherland." Some analysis also believes that Gorbachev's reform and the end of the Cold War are in sharp contrast to today's Russian leader Putin, and some people even think that Gorbachev and Putin are almost opposite.

This statement is too simple. Gorbachev is a complicated person, and his relationship with Putin is also quite complicated.

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If we sort out the view of Gorbachev after Putin's administration, we can see that Gorbachev neither opposes Putin nor fully supporting him. But in many major diplomatic incidents, Gorbachev's approach to Putin, especially in Russia, confrontation with the West, Gorbachev has criticized the West more.

At the end of 1999, Putin replaced Yeltsin as the acting president. He won the presidential election in March 2000 and took office in May. Gorbachev attended Putin's inaugural ceremony, which was the first time he returned to the Kremlin after the Soviet Union disintegrated at the end of 1991.

In the following years, Gorbachev's evaluation of Putin was very positive. When Russia's domestic opposition and Western media criticized Putin's centralized tendency, Gorbachev believed that some powerful means taken by Putin were to rectify the chaotic situation caused by Yeltsin's governance (Yeltsin is the real political enemy of Gorbachev). "Conform to the interests of most Russians."

However, after the President of Medvedev stepped down in 2012 (he served as the president from 2008 to 2012, Putin served as the prime minister), Putin continued to run for president. Gorbachev had some disagreement about Putin's approach and believed that Putin's approach would bring Russia to bring Russia to bring Russia. Come negative impact. At that time, there was a demonstration against Putin and other places. Gorbachev praised and supported these demonstrators.

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In major diplomatic incidents, Gorbachev supports Putin's approach. Russia sent troops to Georgia in 2008, causing strong prayer in the West. Gorbachev publicly accused Western countries of trying to incorporate Georgia into the scope of Western forces by supporting anti -Russian Saazville, violating Russia's national interests.

In March 2014, a referendum in the Crimea region joined Russia. The West has strongly accused Russia and sanctions against Russia. Gorbachev defended Crimea to Russia. He believes that in 1954, in order to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the merger of Ukraine and Russia, Khrushchen gave Crimea, which belonged to Russia at the time to Ukraine (Russia and Ukraine were all joined the Republic of the Soviet Union at the time). The opinions of the Asian people, and the referendum in 2014 is the true manifestation of local public opinion.

After the conflict broke out in 2014, the West also accused Russia of supporting local Russian armed forces and destroying Ukraine's sovereignty. But Gorbachev believes that both parties in Donbas have violated the agreement. He also accused the West of the West, especially when the United States was treating relations with Russia, always had a "victoryism" posture, and believed that this was an important reason for the New Cold War. Gorbachev always believes that the Cold War has no victor, and the end of the Cold War is the result of the United States and Soviet cooperation. Bush Bush once said that the United States "won the Cold War, and Gorbachev was very dissatisfied with it.

Gorbachev also strongly opposed NATO expansion. In 2016, when NATO decided to increase the army in Eastern Europe, Gorbachev said that this would lead to more tense relations between NATO and Russia. He supports the negotiated talks between the United States and Russia, that is, Putin and Trump's meeting in Helsinki in July 2018, arguing that Russia and the United States increased communication to avoid new Cold War. After Biden on the stage in 2021, Gorbachev called on him to improve US -Russian relations. However, US -Russian relations are obviously worse and worse. In December 2021, in an interview with Russia's New Year, Gorbachev believed that after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States became more and more arrogant, which is also the main reason for NATO regardless of Russia's feelings. He expressed his support for negotiations on security between the United States and Russia.

However, the US -Russian security talks obviously did not work. In February 2022, Putin ordered "special military operations". Gorbachev did not have a specific evaluation of this military operation. He just issued a statement two days later, hoping to talk to peace as soon as possible, because "there is nothing more precious than human life in this world."

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How does Putin evaluate Gorbachev? Tas News reported on August 31 that after Gorbachev's death, Putin issued a statement for the first time saying "the deepest mourning." The report also said that Putin interacted with Gorbachev for the last time in March this year Gorbachev's birthday, Putin congratulated him. In the congratulations, Gorbachev is "one of the brightest and outstanding politicians."

On the morning of September 1st, Putin also came to the Central Clinical Hospital of Moscow to offer flowers, bow, and say goodbye to Gorbachev's body. The Kremlin said that Putin could not participate in Gorbachev's funeral. Some media in the West said that this shows Putin's "contempt" of Gorbachev, but the actual situation may not be Putin's despise Gorbachev, but more complicated reasons -after all, Gorbachev represented representative A complex era.

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