Live: Funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev to take place on Saturday - media reports

Warsaw residents thanked Mikhail Gorbachev for his openness, as they reacted to the news of his death. 

Stanislaw Szczerba, 57, said Gorbachev always prompted positive emotions in him.

"Gorbachev was one of the few people who had a very open worldview at that time. For us, for Poles, the changes that took place there were very important. It was important for us that he wasn't fossilized, a conservative, or a communist, but just a very open person."

83-year-old engineer Iwona Kosinska said Russia made a "bloodless" entrance into Europe thanks to Gorbachev.

Street musician Wieslaw Wystepek described the former leader's politics as a "light at the end of the tunnel".

The funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev will take place on Saturday, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Gorbachev's daughter.

The funeral will take place in the famous Hall of Columns inside Moscow's House of Unions, Interfax reported, the same place where Josef Stalin's body was put on display following his death in 1953.

Alexei Venediktov, former editor of the Ekho Moskvy radio station and a friend of Gorbachev, also said in social media posts that the funeral would take place on Saturday, Sept. 3.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the Kremlin would decide during Wednesday whether Gorbachev would be given a state funeral.

The TASS news agency reported Peskov as saying that the Kremlin would announce later whether President Vladimir Putin would attend Gorbachev's funeral.

The Kremlin on Wednesday hailed late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as an extraordinary global statesman who helped end the Cold War, but said he had been badly wrong about the prospect of rapprochement with the "bloodthirsty" West.

The comments underlined President Vladimir Putin's long-held feelings about the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, which Gorbachev unwittingly presided over, and which Putin has lamented as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century which he would reverse if given a chance.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday hailed Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, following his death as a person who had "changed the world for the better".

"Mikhail Gorbachev was a politician and statesman who had a huge impact on the course of world history," Putin said in a statement from the Kremlin.

"He led our country during a period of complex, dramatic changes, large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges," Putin added. 

"He deeply understood that reforms were necessary, he strove to offer his own solutions to urgent problems," the Russian President said.

How Mikhail Gorbachev brought capitalism to Russia 

With the Russian economy suffering at the end of 1990, Gorbachev decided to restructure the system completely and the first major move was to invite global franchises to invest in Russia.

“We cannot live this way any longer,” he once said according to New York Times.

In January 1990, Russia saw the first McDonald’s open its gates in Pushkin Square, Moscow. The name was already quite popular among the citizens and it came as no surprise that people stood in line to spend what many described as “four days’ salary” on the food served at the outlet.

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"Mikhail Gorbachev made positive contributions to the normalisation of Sino-Soviet relations," China foreign ministry said, adding,"We mourn his death and express our condolences to his family."

"Gorbachev's historic reforms led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, helped end the Cold War & opened the possibility of a partnership between Russia and NATO," Jens Stoltenberg said in a tweet.

UK PM Boris Johnson while paying tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev said he "always admired the courage and integrity" of the former Soviet leader.

"In a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all," the outgoing UK PM said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "deep sympathies" over Gorbachev's death even as UN chief Antonio Guterres praised the former Soviet leader as as "a one-of-a-kind statesman who changed the course of history".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Gorbachev was a "trusted and respected leader".

French President Macron described Gorbachev as a "man of peace" adding that he  "opened a path of liberty for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history".

Watch: Putin expresses 'deep condolences'

The fall of Soviet Union ushered in an era of economic transition from communism in Russia and a vocal supporter of the change was president Mikhail Gorbachev. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91, brought a number of American franchise businesses to Russia at that time and even starred in a 1997 Pizza Hut commercial that is going viral right now.

The ad showed a number of Russians discussing politics while sitting at a Pizza Hut. Gorbachev was seated at a corner of the shop and after noticing him, they started discussing his political legacy.

Historic Pizza Hut ad featuring Mikhail Gorbachev goes viral after his death - WATCH Read full story 

US President Joe Biden hailed former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who passed away in Moscow aged as a "rare leader".

"These were the acts of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it," Biden said in a statement, referring to Gorbachev's democratic reforms. "The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people."

After learning about the demise of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger paid a heartfelt tribute to him.

Taking to Instagram, Arnold wrote, "There`s an old saying, `Never meet your heroes.` I think that`s some of the worst advice I`ve ever heard. Mikhail Gorbachev was one of my heroes, and it was an honour and a joy to meet him. I was unbelievably lucky to call him a friend. All of us can learn from his fantastic life."

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Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet president who ended cold war, dies aged 91

Mikhail Gorbachev, who was known for his extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, died Tuesday after a long illness. He was 91.

Gorbachev, who was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, had unleashed path-breaking reforms though he was in power for less than seven years, but was unable to save the fall of the Soviet Union.

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