Without perestroika, the cold war simply would not have ended. But the world could not continue developing as it had, with the stark menace of nuclear war ever present.

We won the Cold War because we showed nuclear vigilance and diligence.

The lesson of the Cold War is that against nuclear weapons, only nuclear weapons can hold the peace.

The politicians always told us that the Cold War stand-off could only change by way of nuclear war. None of them believed that such systemic change was possible.

Sometimes people ask me why I began perestroika. Were the causes basically domestic or foreign? The domestic reasons were undoubtedly the main ones, but the danger of nuclear war was so serious that it was a no less significant factor.

The only thing that kept the Cold War cold was the mutual deterrence afforded by nuclear weapons.