OREANDA-NEWS. Former President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev in an interview with The Times called on the future winner of the presidential race in the United States to immediately meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The former Soviet leader expressed fears that the nuclear arms race could spiral out of control. “The situation is very worrying. Whatever the result of the election, we need to resume a dialogue to get out of this frozen situation. We need a strong impetus from the presidents on both sides,” Gorbachev said.

The politician believes that Russia and the United States should hold a “second Reykjavik,” referring to his meeting with US President Ronald Reagan in Iceland in 1986. According to him, relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the mid-1980s were much more complicated than they are now. However, then Moscow and Washington managed to find a way out with the help of trust, understanding and building relationships with each other, the former USSR president emphasized.