Biden, Putin, and more memorialize Mikhail Gorbachev: 'A man of remarkable vision'


World leaders past and present are paying tribute to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who died Tuesday at the age of 91.
"Mikhail Gorbachev was a man of remarkable vision," President Biden said in a statement. His radical reforms "were the acts of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it."
French President Emmanuel Macron also offered his condolences, describing Gorbachev as "a man of peace whose choices opened up a path of liberty for Russians." And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chimed in, as well, noting how "in a time of Putin's aggression in Ukraine, [Gorbachev's] tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose family hails from Hiroshima (as noted by The Washington Post), celebrated Gorbachev's role in "overcoming a post-World War II division in Europe and the East-West confrontation," while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz remembered him as a "courageous reformer and a statesman who dared to do many things."
Ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, who grew up in East Germany, hailed the Cold War-ending leader as a "unique world politician" who "fundamentally changed my life."
But perhaps no reaction was more notable than that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, in a brief message addressed to Gorbachev's "relatives and friends," described his compatriot as a "politician and statesman who had a huge impact on the course of world history."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
'Wonder drug': the potential health benefits of creatine
The Explainer Popular fitness supplement shows promise in easing symptoms of everything from depression to menopause and could even help prevent Alzheimer's
-
What's next for Elon Musk?
Today's Big Question The world's richest man has become 'disillusioned' with politics – but returning to his tech empire presents its own challenges
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 – 30 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
How the Arctic became a geopolitical flashpoint
The Explainer The UK is working with Nato allies in the Arctic Circle to prepare for potential Russian aggression
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools