Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, has denied rumors that Soviet leaders were ready to consider returning the Kaliningrad region, historically known as East Prussia, to Germany in 1990.
German magazine Der Spiegel mentioned the alleged offer in an article on its web site last month. The story said there was a secret offer to West German officials made by Soviet General Gely Batenin, now deceased, shortly before the unification of Germany.
But Gorbachev called the story a “false sensation” in an interview to Nezavisimaya Gazeta published Thursday, adding that returning Kaliningrad, known as Koenigsberg before it became part of the Soviet Union after World War II, was never considered.
(MT)
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