Gorbachev Calls for End of Confrontational Rhetoric in US-Russia Ties

The representatives of the civil society from both Russia and the United States should help the two states end confrontational rhetoric and enhance dialogue, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The former Soviet leader said that the tensions should be eased and there was "one proven remedy for it," namely dialogue based on a mutual respect, however "relaunching it would be an uphill task."

"We cannot afford to simply wait for it to happen [until the tensions between the two states de-escalate]. And here I want to mention the role of the civil society. I am confident that every one of us can make a contribution to overcoming the current distrust. We need to get rid of the hostile confrontational rhetoric and establish a multi-level dialogue involving citizens, academics, artists and young people," Gorbachev said as quoted by the Gorbachev Foundation during the unveiling ceremony for a sculpture dedicated to him and to former US President Ronald Reagan.

Gorbachev added that the root of the problems in the modern bilateral relations stemmed from the decision of Washington to announce its "victory in the Cold War" instead of celebrating joint US-Soviet efforts.

"It was necessary to go further and proceed toward a comprehensive partnership between our countries and peoples. It is not our fault that, that instead of celebrating a joint victory over the Cold War, the United States chose to announce its 'victory in the Cold War.' This was the underlying cause of the mistakes and failures that have undermined the foundations of new relations between our two countries," Gorbachev said calling on both the sides to move away from "the dangerous impasse."

Gorbachev added that he was confident that the crisis in the bilateral relations could be overcome and the countries would cooperate and possibly would become partners in future.

"I hope everyone in attendance here today will show resolve and courage so that together we could open a new page in relations between Russia and the United States. We and the entire world do not need another cold war or "cold peace." A true peace, peace for all will be our common victory," he said.

Gorbachev has repeatedly called for a thaw in the ties between the US and Russia.

The relations between Moscow and Washington has been deteriorating for several recent years. Major tensions emerged amid the Ukrainian crisis starting from 2014, when the United States accused Russia of fueling the conflict and imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia. The ties have also been strained due to recent allegations that Moscow has meddled in the US presidential election. Russian officials have repeatedly refuted the allegations, saying that Moscow does not interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries.