Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending Mikhail Gorbachev's funeral, according to the Kremlin. As per Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president's work schedule is keeping him occupied from attending USSR's last leader Mikhail Gorbachev's funeral ceremony.
"Putin's work schedule will not allow him to take part in the farewell ceremony for Gorbachev on September 3rd," Dmitry Peskov said. He added that Putin had paid his respects at the Moscow central clinical hospital where Gorbachev, aged 91, died on Tuesday following a lengthy illness.
A public farewell for Gorbachev has been organised on Saturday and later that day his funeral will take place at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
World leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, offered their condolences over Gorbachev's passing.
"I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of H.E. Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the leading statesmen of the 20th century who left an indelible mark on the course of history," PM Modi said in a tweet.
Gorbachev’s Contribution
Glasnost and Perestroika were two of the most prominent policies developed by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
The term "Glasnost" came to mean more "openness and transparency" in the Soviet government (USSR) introduced by Gorbachev. His administration's commitment was reflected in its willingness to open up public debates and discussions about the Soviet Union's matters of concern and their possible reforms.
Another bold step taken by Gorbachev was to implement Perestroika in the Soviet Union's foreign economic sector. His policies effectively ended the monopoly of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, which had previously controlled nearly all international trade.