Putin Won’t Attend Gorbachev’s Funeral In Likely Snub

Topline

Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t attend the funeral of former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, the Kremlin said Thursday, attributing it to scheduling conflicts, though it’s probably a slight at his predecessor who lobbied for closer Russian ties to the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, talks to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, left, … [+] in 2004.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s work schedule “unfortunately” prevented him from going to Gorbachev’s funeral Thursday, according to the state-run news agency TASS.

Putin instead paid tribute to Gorbachev at the Moscow hospital where he died and laid flowers at his coffin, Peskov said.

Russian television broadcast a video of Putin delivering a bouquet of red flowers to Gorbachev’s open casket, saying a prayer and spending about 30 seconds at the casket.

Peskov also said Gorbachev would not have a complete state funeral though there would be components of one, another snub for the late Soviet leader who oversaw the collapse of the Soviet Union, a move long decried by Putin who seeks to re-extend the sphere of Russian influence.

Key Background

Gorbachev died Monday at the age of 91. Putin offered his first public comments on Gorbachev’s death Wednesday, calling him a “a politician and statesman who had a huge impact on the course of world history” who “led our country during a period of complex, dramatic change,” according to the New York Times. Gorbachev, who effectively ended the Cold War alongside U.S. President Ronald Reagan, was an outspoken critic of Putin, calling him an obstacle to progress in 2016.

Surprising Fact

Gorbachev is the first Russian leader not to receive a state funeral since Nikita Khrushchev in 1971, according to the Guardian.

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