Mikhail Gorbachev: How has Europe reacted to the death of the Soviet Union's last leader?
Tributes have been paid from across Europe to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who has died aged 91.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said his legacy would not be forgotten.
“Mikhail Gorbachev was a trusted and respected leader," she said. "He played a crucial role to end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain. It opened the way for a free Europe ... R.I.P Mikhail Gorbachev.”
French President Emmanuel Macron described the 91-year-old as a “man of peace”.
He said Gorbachev had “opened a path of liberty for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history.”
Boris Johnson, the outgoing UK prime minister, said he “always admired the courage and integrity he [Gorbachev] showed in bringing the cold war to a peaceful conclusion”.
"In a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all," Johnson added.
In Russia, the official reaction to the death of Gorbachev was more frosty, with the last Soviet leader viewed by some as the author of the break up of the USSR.
Russia's president Vladimir Putin expressed “his deepest condolences”, via Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
“Tomorrow he will send a telegram of condolences to his family and friends,” Peskov said.
Reactions to Gorbachev's passing in Ukraine are more divided.
Some commentators said he mishandled the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, which killed thousands, while others recognised how he paved the way for Ukrainian independence.
A report by Russia's state-owned Tass news agency described Gorbachev in a dry, laconic way.
Their report simply stated that he had died and that Gorbachev "promoted ... political and economic reforms. He was the first and
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