‘A wise & pragmatic statesman:’ Putin expresses condolences over Henry Kissinger’s death

Kissinger, who passed away at 100, pursued dialogue between the US and Soviet Union in 1970s that led to first major nuclear arms control treaties between 2 Cold War superpowers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session of the World Russian People's Council, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the founding of the organisation, via video link in Sochi, Russia November 28, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File photo

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed his condolences over the death of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, saying in a telegram to Kissinger’s widow Nancy that he was a “wise and farsighted statesman”.

“The name of Henry Kissinger is inextricably linked with a pragmatic foreign policy line, which at one time made it possible to achieve detente in international tensions and reach the most important Soviet-American agreements that contributed to the strengthening of global security,” Putin said.

“I had the opportunity to personally communicate with this deep, extraordinary man many times, and I will undoubtedly retain the fondest memory of him.”

Kissinger, who died on Wednesday at the age of 100, pursued dialogue between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s that led to the first major nuclear arms control treaties between the two Cold War superpowers.

Five decades on, the war in Ukraine has raised tensions between Moscow and Washington to their most acute point since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the Kremlin has described the current state of relations as “below zero”.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

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