Mikhail Gorbachev is warning that tensions between America and Russia over Ukraine have put the world on the brink of a new Cold War.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned the world is on a brink of a new Cold War. Photo: AFP
The former leader of the Soviet Union was speaking last night at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He said the West - and the United States in particular - cranked up tensions after the fall of the Wall with unrestrained triumphalism, the BBC reported.
"Bloodshed in Europe and the Middle East against a backdrop in the dialogue between major powers is of enormous concern. The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying it has already begun."
Balloon lanterns mark a Berlin Wall memorial site on Bernauer Street, Berlin, Germany. Photo: AFP
Thousands of tourists are attending the celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the wall's fall. Photo: AFP
Mr Gorbachev's call came amid a warning from Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders that the last victims of the Malaysia Airlines plane shot down over Ukraine might never be recovered.
Mr Koenders said nine of the 298 victims of July's MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine were still unaccounted for, the BBC reported.
He was speaking after a ceremony in Kharkiv as another five coffins with remains were flown to the Netherlands.
The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed in territory held by pro-Russian rebels.
US and Russia agree to share information
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the US and Russia have agreed to exchange information about the situation on the Russia-Ukraine border, Reuters reported.
Ukraine's military had accused Russia of sending a column of 32 tanks and truckloads of troops into Ukraine's east to support pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces.
Mr Kerry told reporters in Beijing the US does have some disagreements about some of the facts on the ground in Ukraine.
But he seemed to suggest new Western sanctions against Russia were not imminent.