US Deliberately Pushing Russia into New Cold War, Says Gorbachev

Amidst the campaign by the West to portray Russia as the villain, stoking tensions in Ukraine and elsewhere, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev has hit out at the U.S. for pushing Russia into a new Cold War. He also expressed the fear that the current chill in relations between the two can trigger an armed conflict.

Gorbachev is a veteran Russian leader and was former President of the erstwhile Soviet Union. He is credited with ending the Cold War between the two super powers. Flaying the U.S. for triumphalism, Gorbachev, in an interview with Russia’s RT News noted, “Plainly speaking, the U.S. has already dragged us into a new Cold War, trying to openly implement its triumphalism.”

US Flayed

Regarding the future of the present conflict, Gorbachev said he was unsure whether the Cold War will turn into a “hot” one or not. “All we hear from the U.S. and the EU is sanctions against Russia. Are they completely out of their minds? The U.S. has been totally ‘lost in the jungle’ and dragging us there as well,” Russian leader asserted.

Gorbachev was highly critical of the West for threatening Russia with more sanctions and holding it responsible for the military conflict in eastern Ukraine and the charge that Russian troops are present in the restive areas.

Referring to EU, Gorbachev said, there are significant differences among EU politicians and prosperity levels are varied among the member states. Some countries are alright, while others are not so well. Many countries, including Germany are excessively dependent on the U.S.

Gorbachev was the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party from 1985 to 1991, and was the only president of the Soviet Union from 1990. Famed for his reformist perestroika, Gorbachev is believed to have become the catalyst in hastening the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Spying Row

Meanwhile, the busting of a Russian spy ring in New York has led to a war of words between the USA and Russia. But there are less jitters as the spying racket had nothing to do with military secrets, reports ABC News. It has been confirmed that the aim of the spy ring was to dig up "economic intelligence" and find out sources of alternative energy. The U.S. authorities used the episode to the hilt to portray it as a proof of rampant Russian spying in the U.S, despite the end of Cold War.

While U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara warned that Russian spies continue to “operate in our midst”, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich accused the U.S. of cooking up a spy scandal to tarnish the image of Russia.

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