US President Joe Biden has released a statement hailing “a man of remarkable vision” and sending his condolences.
“When he came to power, the Cold War had gone on for nearly 40 years and communism for even longer, with devastating consequences,” says Biden.
Gorbachev was brave enough to embrace democratic reforms and nuclear disarmament, says Biden.
“These were the acts of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.”
Biden says that even after leaving the Kremlin, Gorbachev remained “deeply engaged”.
People everywhere benefited from Gorbachev’s “belief in a better world”, says the US president.
