MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In an interview with Britain’s The Sunday Times daily, Gorbachev accused Washington of "rubbing their hands with glee" at the idea that "we won the Cold War," instead of acknowledging Russia’s role in ending the decades-long geopolitical standoff.
"They thought, ‘Now we’re the boss of the world.’ They weren’t genuinely interested in helping Russia develop into a stable and strong democracy. They thought they’d cut Russia down to size. In the process, they’ve squandered the trust we’d built," Gorbachev said.
"I’m always with the free will of the people and most in Crimea wanted to be reunited with Russia… Had I still been in power, the Soviet Union would still exist and Crimea would be a part of it," Gorbachev stressed.
He expressed regret with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, saying "my intention was always to reform it, never to destroy it."
Gorbachev hypothesized that most Russians, while "deeply sorry" the country with vast resources "vanished," they do not want it back.
