Gorbachev Death Gets World Reactions From 'Hero' to 'Russia's Jimmy Carter'

Mikhail Gorbachev is being remembered by world leaders and commentators as a courageous statesman who peacefully ended the Cold War as well as for presiding over the collapse of a global superpower.

Remembrances of Gorbachev poured in following news that the last leader of the Soviet Union died Tuesday at age 91. Gorbachev sought better ties with the West and more economic and political freedom in the Soviet Union, eventually seeing its dissolution in 1991. The world leader's legacy is being given a fresh look as tensions between Russia and the West have returned.

After serving as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, Gorbachev became the first and only president of the Soviet Union in March 1990. As general secretary, Gorbachev negotiated a treaty with U.S. President Ronald Reagan to reduce both countries' nuclear weapons stockpiles and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for "the leading role he played in the radical changes in East-West relations."

Gorbachev also famously pushed for perestroika, or "restructuring," and glasnost, or "openness" that reduced government control over the economy and Soviet political life. But his reforms weren't universally accepted, and in 1991 a group of hardliners mounted an unsuccessful coup to oust him.

"At inflection points in history some leaders rise, others falter," commentator and veteran journalist Dan Rather said in a tweet. "Mikhail Gorbachev, who passed away today, rose to make our world safer. He was imperfect, as we all are. But he had a vision for stability over chaos and ultimately freedom over repression. We need more of that."

Michael McFaul, a Russia expert who served as U.S. ambassador to the country, praised Gorbachev in a tweet, saying "hard to think of other individuals who changed the course of world history in a positive direction more than he did. Always enjoyed our conversations."

"I always admired the courage & integrity he showed in bringing the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet.

Johnson, noting Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, added that Gorbachev's "tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all."

"Mikhail Gorbachev was a trusted and respected leader," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet. "He played a crucial role to end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain. It opened the way for a free Europe. This legacy is one we will not forget."

Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised Gorbachev in a tweet, saying that "all of us can learn from his fantastic life."

"He will be remembered for all time as a hero who dismantled the communist system despite what it meant for his own power," Schwarzenegger said in a follow-up tweet.

But conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza had a less charitable characterization of Gorbachev. D'Souza wrote in a tweet that the Soviet leader "was a relatively nice man who was also a bungler," calling him "Russia's answer to Jimmy Carter," in reference to the former U.S. president who resoundingly lost reelection in 1980 to Reagan.

"Gorbachev tried to save Communism and ended up destroying it. Reagan outsmarted Gorbachev all the way," said D'Souza. "History's verdict is now clear: Reagan won the Cold War and Gorbachev lost."

While Gorbachev tried to keep the Soviet Union intact, it split into 15 independent nations and the leader received less than 1 percent of the vote when he ran for Russian president in 1996.

Oleg Morozov, a Russian lawmaker from Putin's United Russia party, told Russian state media RIA Novosti it was a "mystical coincidence" that Gorbachev died during Russia's military action against Ukraine, calling him one of the "co-authors of that unjust world order with which our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield."

Putin and Gorbachev enjoyed relatively good relations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state-run news agency TASS that Putin "expresses his deepest condolences" over Gorbachev's death and would send a telegram to relatives and friends.