NEW YORK, April 3: Accusing the United States of being “intoxicated” by its power, the last leader of Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, said on Monday that the talk of pre-emptive strikes and of ignoring international legal obligations and the United Nations Security Council was leading towards what he termed a “dark night”.

In an interview with Time Magazine, the 75-year-old former leader says the US wants to impose its will on the world but needs to get over that desire, as it has responsibilities as well as power.

Saying that he has made the comments in the spirit of a good friend of the United States, Mr Gorbachev observed that some people might be pushing President George W. Bush in the wrong direction.

However, he rejected the suggestion that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was one of the people pushing Mr Bush in the wrong direction.

“She is one who is committed to political and diplomatic solutions. But she is having a difficult time. So did Colin Powell,” he added.

Mr Gorbachev was highly critical of his successor Boris Yeltsin, saying that he had ruined Russia and allowed the wealth of the nation to be taken away by a few people. “And the West was never critical of Yeltsin.” Now, he said current President Vladimir Putin was trying to “clean the mess” left by Mr Yeltsin.

Mr Gorbachev had high praise for Mr Putin who, he said, was trying to move forward towards more social-democratic policies, to improve health care and education as also other sectors.