Gorbachev: Russia's Ex-Leader Says US Insane for Forcing Motherland Into Second Cold War

The US has dragged Russia into a second Cold War, says Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet president, who fears the chill in the relations.

"Plainly speaking, the US has already dragged us into a new Cold War, trying to openly implement its idea of triumphalism," Gorbachev said in an interview with Interfax. He had played a pioneering role in ending the first Cold War, but now he is anxious about the consequences of the current relations, according to rt.com.

"What's next? Unfortunately, I cannot be sure that the Cold War will not bring about a 'hot' one. I'm afraid they might take the risk," he said.

This is the reaction to the US' new sanctions against Russia being pondered. The US is blaming Russia for the ongoing conflict in east Ukraine, and accusing Moscow of sending troops to the tense areas. However, Russia has denied the charges.

"All we hear from the US and the EU now is sanctions against Russia," Gorbachev said. "Are they completely out of their minds? The US has been totally 'lost in the jungle' and is dragging us there as well."

Pointing out that the EU situation is tense, as there are various differences among politicians and diverse levels of prosperity among member nations, Gorbachev says that some of the countries are "alright", a few more are not, while some, such as Germany, are completely dependent on America.

Even in America, international relations experts seem to be worried about the Cold War possibility, although the public is not. When asked if US and Russia are moving towards a conflict, 48 percent of scholars denied it, while 38 percent agreed.

An American snap poll was completed by the end of January, by the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) project at the College of William and Mary, along with the Foreign Policy magazine.The study compared its results to a Gallup poll from March 2014, when 50 percent of the public felt that a new Cold War is in the offing.

One-third of the Russians too believe that Russia and the US are on a collision course.

According to a poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center VCIOM in November 2014, more than 30 percent of Russians believed in the possibility of a new Cold War, as it would be the highest number in the past seven years. Every fourth Russian, or 25 percent of respondents suggested that the Cold War had already begun.