AP Interview: Gorbachev says U.S. was short-sighted on Soviets
Published 9:34 am Tuesday, December 13, 2016
MOSCOW — As the Soviet Union was breaking up 25 years ago, Mikhail Gorbachev expected the United States and its Western allies to provide vital aid. The former Soviet president thinks their failure to offer significant help wasted a chance to build a safer world and resulted from short-sighted gloating at a Cold War rival’s demise.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, the 85-year-old Gorbachev voiced hope that Russia and the United States would do better and ease current tensions during Donald Trump’s presidency.
“The relations between us are so important and concern everyone else, so we must take the interests of others into account,” said the leader credited with helping to end the Cold War.
Gorbachev said he had expected Hillary Clinton to win the U.S. presidential race and was surprised by Trump’s victory. He declined to offer an assessment of Trump, saying it remains to be seen what policies the new U.S. administration will pursue.
“He has little political experience, but, maybe, it’s good,” he said.