Mikhail Gorbachev on Vladimir Putin: He ‘thinks he is second only to God’

Mikhail Gorbachev has said Vladimir Putin thinks of himself as "second only to God" after complaining the Kremlin leader never seeks his advice.

The 83-year-old former Soviet leader made the comments as he launched his new book, After the Kremlin, in which he praises the former KGB spy for playing a major role in stabilising Russia and acting "in the interests of the majority".

However, Mr Gorbachev used the book launch to say: "He has started picking up the same illness which I suffered from earlier – self-confidence. Don't get a big head. That is what ruined me."

The former president said apart from a short meeting in June, Mr Putin's aides had repeatedly declined his offer to meet. Mr Gorbachev recently warned of the potential for a new Cold War 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"I need to participate, and I will. Nobody will shut my mouth, even though people wanted me to emigrate. I don't want to leave, let those people leave," he added.

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