Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Says Mikhail Gorbachev Will Be Missed

	Gorbachev, who during his seven years in power made dramatic reforms that paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, died on Tuesday in a Moscow hospital aged 91.
	Mulroney said in an interview that while US President Ronald Reagan gets a lot of credit for ending the Cold War without firing a shot, “it takes two to tango”, and Gorbachev was an indispensable leader on the other side.
	“President Gorbachev will go down in history as an iconic leader and one who accomplished a lot for humanity,” he said. 
	The former prime minister says he first met Gorbachev in March 1985 and found him to be a breath of fresh air compared to the “stuffy and confused and visionless” Soviet leaders he was used to.
	“He was quite charming and direct, alert, and you could tell then that he wanted to do business,” Mulroney said. 
	He recalls meeting with Reagan a few days later in Quebec City and telling the president that he expected Gorbachev to be an excellent conversationalist. 
	“I said, ‘You know, Ron, there’s a new game in town, here,'” Mulroney recalled.  “‘This is very much a man we will be able to get along with and get things done with.’
	Gorbachev’s approach to diplomacy stands in stark contrast to the “belligerent, moderate leadership you see in Moscow today,” Mulroney added.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “exactly the opposite of what Gorbachev wanted.” 
	Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War and easing nuclear tensions, but was derided at home as the Soviet Union collapsed.  The country had collapsed in his hands. 
	His power shaken by an attempted coup against him in August 1991, Gorbachev spent his last months in power watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on 25 December 1991 and the Soviet Union was forgotten for a day later.
	By the end of his administration, he was powerless to stop the whirlwind he had sown.  However, Gorbachev may have had a greater impact on the second half of the 20th century than any other political figure.
	“I see myself as a man who initiated reforms that were necessary for the country and for Europe and the world,” Gorbachev told The Associated Press in a 1992 interview shortly after leaving office.
	“I’m often asked, would I have started it all over again? Yes, indeed. And with more persistence and determination,” he said.
	His 1996 run for president was a national joke, garnering less than 1 percent of the vote.  In 1997, he resorted to making a TV commercial for Pizza Hut to raise money for his charity.
	But he was praised outside Russia, and Mulroney said they deepened their friendship on the international speaking circuit.  In more recent years they would meet in Houston or New York or Montreal. 
	“I would see him quite a bit. And I personally enjoyed him immensely. We had a great personal relationship,” he said.  “I witnessed the wonderful relationship he had with his wife and his family. He was, in my opinion, a great man.”
	This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022.
	— With files from The Associated Press.

title: “Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Says Mikhail Gorbachev Will Be Missed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Frieda Friedrichs”

	Gorbachev, who during his seven years in power made dramatic reforms that paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, died on Tuesday in a Moscow hospital aged 91.
	Mulroney said in an interview that while US President Ronald Reagan gets a lot of credit for ending the Cold War without firing a shot, “it takes two to tango”, and Gorbachev was an indispensable leader on the other side.
	“President Gorbachev will go down in history as an iconic leader and one who accomplished a lot for humanity,” he said. 
	The former prime minister says he first met Gorbachev in March 1985 and found him to be a breath of fresh air compared to the “stuffy and confused and visionless” Soviet leaders he was used to.
	“He was quite charming and direct, alert, and you could tell then that he wanted to do business,” Mulroney said. 
	He recalls meeting with Reagan a few days later in Quebec City and telling the president that he expected Gorbachev to be an excellent conversationalist. 
	“I said, ‘You know, Ron, there’s a new game in town, here,'” Mulroney recalled.  “‘This is very much a man we will be able to get along with and get things done with.’
	Gorbachev’s approach to diplomacy stands in stark contrast to the “belligerent, moderate leadership you see in Moscow today,” Mulroney added.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “exactly the opposite of what Gorbachev wanted.” 
	Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War and easing nuclear tensions, but was derided at home as the Soviet Union collapsed.  The country had collapsed in his hands. 
	His power shaken by an attempted coup against him in August 1991, Gorbachev spent his last months in power watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on 25 December 1991 and the Soviet Union was forgotten for a day later.
	By the end of his administration, he was powerless to stop the whirlwind he had sown.  However, Gorbachev may have had a greater impact on the second half of the 20th century than any other political figure.
	“I see myself as a man who initiated reforms that were necessary for the country and for Europe and the world,” Gorbachev told The Associated Press in a 1992 interview shortly after leaving office.
	“I’m often asked, would I have started it all over again? Yes, indeed. And with more persistence and determination,” he said.
	His 1996 run for president was a national joke, garnering less than 1 percent of the vote.  In 1997, he resorted to making a TV commercial for Pizza Hut to raise money for his charity.
	But he was praised outside Russia, and Mulroney said they deepened their friendship on the international speaking circuit.  In more recent years they would meet in Houston or New York or Montreal. 
	“I would see him quite a bit. And I personally enjoyed him immensely. We had a great personal relationship,” he said.  “I witnessed the wonderful relationship he had with his wife and his family. He was, in my opinion, a great man.”
	This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022.
	— With files from The Associated Press.

title: “Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Says Mikhail Gorbachev Will Be Missed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Betty Mata”

	Gorbachev, who during his seven years in power made dramatic reforms that paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, died on Tuesday in a Moscow hospital aged 91.
	Mulroney said in an interview that while US President Ronald Reagan gets a lot of credit for ending the Cold War without firing a shot, “it takes two to tango”, and Gorbachev was an indispensable leader on the other side.
	“President Gorbachev will go down in history as an iconic leader and one who accomplished a lot for humanity,” he said. 
	The former prime minister says he first met Gorbachev in March 1985 and found him to be a breath of fresh air compared to the “stuffy and confused and visionless” Soviet leaders he was used to.
	“He was quite charming and direct, alert, and you could tell then that he wanted to do business,” Mulroney said. 
	He recalls meeting with Reagan a few days later in Quebec City and telling the president that he expected Gorbachev to be an excellent conversationalist. 
	“I said, ‘You know, Ron, there’s a new game in town, here,'” Mulroney recalled.  “‘This is very much a man we will be able to get along with and get things done with.’
	Gorbachev’s approach to diplomacy stands in stark contrast to the “belligerent, moderate leadership you see in Moscow today,” Mulroney added.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “exactly the opposite of what Gorbachev wanted.” 
	Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War and easing nuclear tensions, but was derided at home as the Soviet Union collapsed.  The country had collapsed in his hands. 
	His power shaken by an attempted coup against him in August 1991, Gorbachev spent his last months in power watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on 25 December 1991 and the Soviet Union was forgotten for a day later.
	By the end of his administration, he was powerless to stop the whirlwind he had sown.  However, Gorbachev may have had a greater impact on the second half of the 20th century than any other political figure.
	“I see myself as a man who initiated reforms that were necessary for the country and for Europe and the world,” Gorbachev told The Associated Press in a 1992 interview shortly after leaving office.
	“I’m often asked, would I have started it all over again? Yes, indeed. And with more persistence and determination,” he said.
	His 1996 run for president was a national joke, garnering less than 1 percent of the vote.  In 1997, he resorted to making a TV commercial for Pizza Hut to raise money for his charity.
	But he was praised outside Russia, and Mulroney said they deepened their friendship on the international speaking circuit.  In more recent years they would meet in Houston or New York or Montreal. 
	“I would see him quite a bit. And I personally enjoyed him immensely. We had a great personal relationship,” he said.  “I witnessed the wonderful relationship he had with his wife and his family. He was, in my opinion, a great man.”
	This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022.
	— With files from The Associated Press.

title: “Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Says Mikhail Gorbachev Will Be Missed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “Zofia Fleming”

	Gorbachev, who during his seven years in power made dramatic reforms that paved the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, died on Tuesday in a Moscow hospital aged 91.
	Mulroney said in an interview that while US President Ronald Reagan gets a lot of credit for ending the Cold War without firing a shot, “it takes two to tango”, and Gorbachev was an indispensable leader on the other side.
	“President Gorbachev will go down in history as an iconic leader and one who accomplished a lot for humanity,” he said. 
	The former prime minister says he first met Gorbachev in March 1985 and found him to be a breath of fresh air compared to the “stuffy and confused and visionless” Soviet leaders he was used to.
	“He was quite charming and direct, alert, and you could tell then that he wanted to do business,” Mulroney said. 
	He recalls meeting with Reagan a few days later in Quebec City and telling the president that he expected Gorbachev to be an excellent conversationalist. 
	“I said, ‘You know, Ron, there’s a new game in town, here,'” Mulroney recalled.  “‘This is very much a man we will be able to get along with and get things done with.’
	Gorbachev’s approach to diplomacy stands in stark contrast to the “belligerent, moderate leadership you see in Moscow today,” Mulroney added.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “exactly the opposite of what Gorbachev wanted.” 
	Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War and easing nuclear tensions, but was derided at home as the Soviet Union collapsed.  The country had collapsed in his hands. 
	His power shaken by an attempted coup against him in August 1991, Gorbachev spent his last months in power watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on 25 December 1991 and the Soviet Union was forgotten for a day later.
	By the end of his administration, he was powerless to stop the whirlwind he had sown.  However, Gorbachev may have had a greater impact on the second half of the 20th century than any other political figure.
	“I see myself as a man who initiated reforms that were necessary for the country and for Europe and the world,” Gorbachev told The Associated Press in a 1992 interview shortly after leaving office.
	“I’m often asked, would I have started it all over again? Yes, indeed. And with more persistence and determination,” he said.
	His 1996 run for president was a national joke, garnering less than 1 percent of the vote.  In 1997, he resorted to making a TV commercial for Pizza Hut to raise money for his charity.
	But he was praised outside Russia, and Mulroney said they deepened their friendship on the international speaking circuit.  In more recent years they would meet in Houston or New York or Montreal. 
	“I would see him quite a bit. And I personally enjoyed him immensely. We had a great personal relationship,” he said.  “I witnessed the wonderful relationship he had with his wife and his family. He was, in my opinion, a great man.”
	This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 30, 2022.
	— With files from The Associated Press.