Slovak president expresses condolences over death of Mikhail Gorbachev

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova took to Twitter on Tuesday night to express her condolences over the death of former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on the same day at the age of 91. "Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who also helped to end the Cold War, has passed away. He believed in a better Russia than the one we see today. RIP," wrote Caputova. The president thus joined leaders around the world who have expressed their condolences, as well as praise for Gorbachev’s key role in bringing about an end to the Cold War and the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. He was president of the Soviet Union in 1990-91, although as head of the Communist party he was the defacto Soviet leader since 1985. In the year of his presidential inauguration, he was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Gorbachev died on Tuesday in Moscow’s Central Hospital at the age of 91 after a long illness.