BRUSSELS, August 31. /TASS/. Mikhail Gorbachev played a key role in ending the Cold War and destroying the Iron Curtain, he opened the way to a free Europe, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on her Twitter page on Tuesday evening, commenting on the death of the first and last Soviet president.

"Mikhail Gorbachev was a trusted and respected leader. He played a crucial role to end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain. It opened the way for a free Europe," von der Leyen said, "This legacy is one we will not forget".

Gorbachev died at the Central Clinical Hospital on August 30. He was 91.

The term ‘Iron Curtain’ was coined by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a symbol of information, political and economic blockade of the USSR, which was initiated by the British Empire after World War II. The term was first uttered on March 5, 1946, in Churchill's Fulton speech, which marked the beginning of the Cold War.