Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that the Ukraine crisis could lead to a major military conflict between Russia and the West and criticized economic sanctions against Moscow.
Gorbachev said in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel published on January 10 said he is "extremely concerned" about the situation and warned about the "catastrophic loss of trust" between Russia and the West.
Gorbachev, credited with helping to open the Berlin Wall in 1989, said a "new thaw" is needed and cautioned that "we won't survive the coming years if someone loses their nerve" over the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
Gorbachev also criticized Germany, saying it "wants to intervene everywhere" and there are German politicans who "want to help create a new division in Europe."
He added that the West's econmsanctions against Russia was "unwise and extremely dangerous."