Former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, has warned that nuclear war could come to Europe if western countries continue their policy towards Russia. The Nobel Peace Prize Winner criticised the expansion of NATO and Germany’s approach to dealing with Vladimir Putin. The EU and Russia have been in conflict since the civil war in Ukraine began.
Mr Gorbachev, who presided over the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s, has been a critic of President Putin but has also warned European leaders against rash actions. Speaking in Germany, he said it would be ‘stupid and highly dangerous’ to allow the Putin regime to collapse, while claiming the west is allowing its own security structure to collapse.
Separately, the Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yetsanyuk caused controversy by saying Russia invaded Ukraine and Germany during the Second World War. Defeating Nazi Germany is one of Russia’s proudest achievements and Mr Putin has often referenced it.