Gorbachev Says International Affairs Will Largely Depend on Russia-US Relations

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — International affairs will largely depend on relations between Russia and the United States, which could be normalized, Gorbachev said on Wednesday.

"I hope for positive changes in international relations. A lot will depend on relations between Russia and the United States. And they can be normalized. Both America and Russia need it. Steps from the both sides are required, and I think that both sides understand it. We need to review all the aspects of our relations," Gorbachev said in his article published in the Russian Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper.

He recalled the working groups that were created together with the Ronald Reagan administration in order to deal with security issues, regional politics, bilateral relations, and others.

"That is a good mechanism. I believe it would be right to use the experience of those years. The first step must be made together. We need to meet and change the climate of our relations. In the second half of the 80s the international situation was even more complicated than today. But we pushed through thanks to our joint efforts. Of course, we can't directly compare that period with the current situation. But there is a lesson to be learned: there is a need for mutual respect and dialogue," Gorbachev said.

Gorbachev held the highest rank in the Soviet Union between 1985 and 1991, becoming the first ever president of the USSR in March 1990.