MOSCOW — Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, whose reforms played a major role in freeing the Soviet Union from totalitarianism, defended authoritarian moves by Russian President Vladimir V. Putin as necessary "to prevent the disintegration of the country."
Putin has chosen "to use certain methods ... that were even authoritarian to some extent," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said in a recent interview. "But even though he used those methods sometimes, he continued to have the same goals -- the goals of moving toward democracy, toward market economics."
Gorbachev attributed tensions between Washington and Moscow to the "victory complex" of some U.S. leaders, and said the two governments should tone down harsh rhetoric and work together to solve global problems.
Asked what advice he would have for Putin and President Bush, Gorbachev replied:
"First of all, to preserve the climate of trust that emerged during the years of perestroika, when we were able to work together with the United States to discuss the issues and ultimately to end the Cold War. I believe that this trust is now in jeopardy."
Perestroika, as Gorbachev's reform policies of the late 1980s are known, played a major role in the collapse of the Soviet Union and laid the groundwork for U.S.-Russian friendship in the 1990s.
But in the last few years, tensions have grown again. Besides the perceived rollback of democracy in Russia, U.S. dissatisfaction has been fueled by Moscow's alleged use of oil and gas export contracts to make political demands on its neighbors, differences over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program, a dispute over the future of Kosovo and other issues.
Russians have been angered by U.S. plans to install an antimissile system in Eastern Europe. Washington says it is needed to defend Europe and North America, citing the possibility of missile attacks by Iran.
Moscow has expressed fear that the move would be a step toward a global missile-defense system aimed at devaluing Russia's and China's nuclear deterrents, and that the system could be modified for offensive missiles that would be close to Russia's border.
Tensions have been further stoked by the radiation poisoning in London last year of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent turned fierce Kremlin critic. In a written statement prepared shortly before his death, Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his killing, a charge the Kremlin has dismissed as "nonsense."
