On the day President Trump went on a surprise Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan; former Soviet leader Gorbachev shared his memories of the USSR’s role in the Afghan conflict in the 1980s and much more.

Sitting down to be interviewed by CNN, the first and only Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev commented on Donald Trump’s intention to withdraw the US contingent from Afghanistan, arguing the move would be vitally important.

“They must be withdrawn. That is the main lesson. You know, it’s like a match. The match is lit, a fire spreads. And these clashes, when the leading, largest countries in this conflict become ever more involved, they are dangerous for all nations”, the former head of the USSR noted speaking about the lessons learned from the Soviet troop pullout from the region in 1989.
“It’s good that already all over the world there is a conversation and people are talking, people are reacting, and this is the most important thing”, Gorbachev said, further proceeding to make a direct appeal and an explicit imperative.