Gorbachev supported the Belarusian opposition, criticized Lukashenko, but praised Putin

In response to the Russian media on September 24, 2020, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev spoke about the situation in Belarus.

Gorbachev, 89, called the arrests that followed Alexander Lukashenko’s silent inauguration “evil” and expressed his affection for Belarusians.

Speaking to the Podyom media in Russian, he said that he “respects the Republic of Belarus and loves the people of Belarus.”

“They have shown that they have a strong character and that is a very good thing.”

Gorbachev believes that the Belarusians’ fight against Lukashenko is “well deserved”, but they still have a long way to go to achieve their goals.

At the same time, speaking about the elections in the United States, Gorbachev asked that “anyone who wins the elections that come here in the United States should sit down and talk with President Vladimir Putin.

Recalling the time he negotiated with President Ronald Reagan to disarm and prevent the threat of an atomic war between the Soviet Union and the United States in December 1986, he urged Americans to have a dialogue with Russia to achieve Peace by world today.

The 1986 Reykjavik Summit paved the way for the destruction of nearly 2,700 nuclear warheads by the United States and the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev believes that there should be a Reykjavic II summit.

According to the Sunday Times of September 27, 2020, in the UK, Gorbachev said that President Putin is “smart, hard-working, has a strong will.”

The compliment to Putin, however, comes with the same criticism of Russian politics.

Gorbachev argued that a political system “that depended on one person” would not be sustainable.

However, the support of Mr. Gorbachev, who is still divided in Russian public opinion on the role that “caused the collapse of the Soviet Union”, for President Putin, has been published in European newspapers.

Gorbachev’s idea was that the United States and the West cannot and should not isolate Russia, a nuclear power, if it wants to solve international problems.

As for Belarus, the Kremlin’s position so far has been conditional on Lukashenko’s help.

Russia was quick to inform the world that its official was not present at Lukashenko’s private inauguration recently.

Part of the Belarusian opposition still resides in Russia after being searched by Belarusian security.