Gorbachev resigned as president of the USSR on December 25, 1991. The red flag over the Kremlin was lowered and replaced by the Russian tricolor. The Soviet Union ceased to exist on the same day, although it was formally dissolved on December 26 by order of the Supreme Soviet.
“Those were dark days for the Soviet Union, for Russia and for me too. But he had no right to do anything else, “Gorbachev reminded the TASS news agency, also explaining why he never used force to try to hold the empire together.
“In the first place because I would have stopped being myself. And then Such a decision would have triggered a very serious civil war with unpredictable consequences. I was sure that this scenario should be avoided at all costs, “he said.
“However, it is true – Gorbachev continued – that the USSR could have survived even after the attempted coup in August 1991 as a Union of sovereign States.”
“But from the beginning we underestimated the scope and depth of the problems in inter-ethnic relations and in relations between the center and the republics. It took too long to understand that the Union needed a renovation “, he said three decades after the collapse.
Gorbachev explained that in those confused days the objective of the Soviet authorities was “to preserve the Union and create a true federation with real sovereignty for the republics, which would have delegated part of their powers to the center.”
“Security, defense, transport network, currency and human rights were to remain in the hands of the central authorities under the draft new Union treaty. I am sure that it was a viable option and that most of the republics They would have supported her, but the attempted coup exceeded this possibility, “he assessed from a distance.
“Even after the coup, however, when the republics proclaimed their independence and the powers of the Kremlin were severely weakened, I was convinced that the Union could be preserved. For this I proposed the Union of Sovereign States,” Gorbachev said, reiterating that Such an issue would become a confederation with the constituent republics that would enjoy even broader powers.
“On the one hand, they would become members of the United Nations, while the USSR would retain its seat on the Security Council. Military and nuclear weapons would remain under one command. I’m sure it would have been much better than it is after. the collapse of the Soviet Union “, confided Gorbachev.
Source From: Ambito
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