But on second thought, after I decreed the state of emergency, I came to the conclusion that that was impossible to achieve without bloodshed because the street protesters were full of anger and nearly out of control. This is why I thought we needed to find another way out.

I think if someone else other than Reagan, someone less of a hardliner, had been in power then the breakthrough in ending the Cold War would not have happened.

I believe politicians should always remain realistic.

But the Americans have no extra money. They have their own problems. They can provide financial assistance for two, three, four, or six months at most.

Corruption has its own motivations, and one has to thoroughly study that phenomenon and eliminate the foundations that allow corruption to exist.

I think my resignation was the only way to avoid bloodshed.

I was a member of the Politburo for seven years, a foreign minister.