West pays tribute to Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who ended Cold War

Then Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev waves from the Red Square tribune during a Revolution Day celebration, in Moscow, on 7 November, 1989. AP - Boris Yurchenko

Western leaders have paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union, who died on Tuesday in Russia at the age of 91. France’s Emmanuel Macron hailed a "man of peace whose choices have opened a path of freedom for Russians”.

Gorbachev passed away in a Moscow hospital after a long illness. He was a leader who “changed our common history” thanks to his commitment to peace in Europe, the French President said.