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Glasnost with Gorbachev: Photos of the former Soviet leader

The towering figure, who died Tuesday, visited Washington often in his post-political life

Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, greets lawmakers in Statuary Hall after his address to Congress on May 14, 1992. Also seen are, from left, Rep. Robert H. Michel, R-Ill., Sen. George J. Mitchell, D-Maine, Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash., Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., Rep. Dick Gephardt, R-Mo., Sergeant-at-Arms Werner Brandt and House Doorkeeper James T. Molloy.
Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, greets lawmakers in Statuary Hall after his address to Congress on May 14, 1992. Also seen are, from left, Rep. Robert H. Michel, R-Ill., Sen. George J. Mitchell, D-Maine, Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash., Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., Rep. Dick Gephardt, R-Mo., Sergeant-at-Arms Werner Brandt and House Doorkeeper James T. Molloy. (Maureen Keating/CQ Roll Call)
By Chris Hale
Posted August 31, 2022 at 1:24pm

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, died Tuesday at the age of 91. Gorbachev was a towering figure in world politics in the late 20th century, and after he left that stage, he often visited Capitol Hill and other parts of the U.S. throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Here are some of CQ Roll Call’s archival photos of his appearances during that time.

Former President Jimmy Carter and Gorbachev attend graduation ceremonies at Emory University in Atlanta in May 1992. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Gorbachev appears with, from left, Sen. George J. Mitchell, D-Maine, Gorbachev’s longtime translator Pavel Palazchenko and Speaker Tom Foley at a luncheon in Statuary Hall following his address to Congress on May 14, 1992. (Chris Ayers/CQ Roll Call)
Gorbachev, center, walks from the Capitol to the Library of Congress with Sen. Alan Cranston, D-Calif., after his address on May 14, 1992. (Maureen Keating/CQ Roll Call)
Gorbachev shakes a hand during a luncheon in the Capitol’s Cannon Caucus Room in April 1993. Also seen are Rep. Charles H. Taylor, R-N.C., left, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. (Maureen Keating/CQ Roll Call)
Gorbachev, joined by translator Palazchenko, talks to Roll Call at the Russian Embassy in April 2001. (Suzanne Nelson/CQ Roll Call)
Senate pages pose for a photo with Gorbachev in March 2009. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Senate Democrats appear with Gorbachev in the Capitol in March 2009. Joining him, from left, are Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

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