Mikhail Gorbachev: EU, US Should Thaw Relations with Russia Despite Ukraine Tensions

Former Sovie leader Mikhail Gorbachev (C) prior release of ballons of Border of Lights installation during the citizens` festival at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, 09 November 2014. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The Soviet Union's last leader Mikhail Gorbachev has called on both Brussels and Washington to improve relations with Moscow despite tensions over Ukraine.

In an article published by the newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta Gorbachev warns that after this year's developments in Ukraine Russia and the West have virtually abandoned cooperation on global issues ranging from the fight against terrorism to climate changes and outbreaks of various diseases.

In his words, both sides in Ukraine are violating the truce signed in September.

"A War leading to a victorious end is impossible. It  is time we stop it!" Gorbachev calls on politicians.

"We should urgently unfreeze ties. I suggest leaders of Russia and the US consider holding a meeting with a wide agenda without any preconditions. Such meeting should also be arranged between Russia and the US," he opines.

In his words, Russia and the US "bear special responsibility. When they give it up, the consequences for the world are dreadful."

Gorbachev urges both sides to backtrack on their ideological positions.

"We should not be afraid somebody will lose authority or will win a propaganda victory. All this should be part of the past."

His comments follow months of renewed tensions between the West and the Russia fomented by the crisis in Ukraine, namely the incorporation of Crimea into Russia and the unrest in Ukraine's Donbass region.

Some experts have suggested a new "Cold War" has begin involving constant trade in propaganda between the two sides.

Gorbachev, for his part, has repeatedly called for reconciliation between Russia and the West over the past months. He even reiterated his stance during the ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, where he was among the special guests.

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