West and Putin are in grip of a new Cold War, says Gorbachev
MIKHAIL Gorbachev has warned that Russia and the West are in the grip of a new Cold War, amid rising tensions across the globe.
The last leader of the Soviet Union said a new arms race was already under way, and that the conflict could heat up if both sides do nothing to prevent this.
Mr Gorbachev claimed that ‘anything is possible’ if the current deterioration of relations continues, adding: ‘The rhetoric used by politicians and senior military commanders is becoming more and more belligerent.’
The 86-year-old said: ‘All the indications of a Cold War are there. It is not merely imminent. In some places, it is already in full swing.’
Last month, hundreds of British troops and military vehicles were sent to Estonia – on Russia’s eastern flank – as part of the biggest Nato show of force against Moscow since the Cold War.
Mr Gorbachev told the German newspaper Bild: ‘Troops are being moved into Europe, including heavy equipment such as tanks and armoured cars. It was not so long ago that Nato troops and Russian troops were stationed quite far away from each other.
‘They now stand nose-to-nose. One gets the feeling that the world is getting ready for a new war.’
He called on the West to ‘restore trust’ with Russia, adding that the former communist country should not be criticised for failing to live up to others’ democratic standards.
‘Russia is on the path to democracy. It’s half way between,’ Mr Gorbachev said. ‘ There are approximately 30 emerging nations that are in transition and we are one of them.’ He also warned that western economic sanctions would not bring about change in Russia.
Mr Gorbachev’s comments follow those of Vladimir Putin’s top UK diplomat, Alexander Yakovenko, who said British-Russian relations were the worst they had ever been.
Mr Yakovenko accused Britain of ‘raising tensions in Europe’ with the deployment to Estonia of around 800 troops. Sources close to Boris Johnson yesterday hit back at the ambassador’s swipe, saying: ‘ Russia could end all of these issues now if it wanted. It is not us on the wrong side of the argument.’
The Foreign Secretary faced embarrassment earlier this month, when he failed to secure backing for his plans for sanctions against Russia following a chemical attack in Syria.
The attack was blamed on Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which Russia supports in the civil war.
Italy, France and Germany publicly rebuffed Mr Johnson, saying Mr Putin must not be ‘pushed into a corner’.
On the subject of sanctions, Mr Gorbachev said: ‘Don’t have any false hope in this respect! We are a people willing to make whatever sacrifices we need to.’ He said the policies only spur Russian public opinion against the West, and bolster support for the Kremlin.
Mr Gorbachev has been credited with contributing to the end of the Cold War by introducing democratic reforms in the Soviet Union and relaxing Moscow’s hold over Eastern Europe.
Once a critic of Mr Putin, the former leader praised the current president and accused the West of ‘ provoking’ Russia. He also claimed Mr Putin was right to seize Crimea, in southern Ukraine, for Russia in 2014.
He blamed warmongering rhetoric for the escalation of global tensions.
‘Military doctrines are formulated increasingly harshly,’ he said. ‘ The media picks up on all of this and adds fuel to the fire. The relationship between the big powers continues to worsen.’
Mr Gorbachev added that the West ‘must take Russia seriously as a nation that deserves respect’ to repair the damage already done.
‘Don’t have any false hope’