Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev spoke highly of Henry Kissinger after the former American secretary of state passed away Wednesday at the age of 100 in his Connecticut home.

Kissinger was a German-born American diplomat and scholar who helped ease tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. (READ MORE: The Enduring Greatness of Henry Kissinger)

In a statement released Thursday from the Kremlin, Putin praised Kissinger for molding “America’s pragmatic foreign policy,” stressing his role in “defusing international tensions” and “achieving crucial Soviet-American agreements that contributed to strengthening global security.”

The Russian leader described Kissinger as “an outstanding diplomat, a wise and far-sighted statesman who enjoyed well-deserved respect around the world for decades.” 

Kissinger, who served as secretary of state and national security advisor under Richard Nixon and again as secretary of state under Gerald Ford, has also been widely credited for brokering a ceasefire to the Vietnam War and opening U.S. diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. (READ MORE: Kissinger Calls for ‘Peace Through Negotiation’ in Ukraine War)

Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian official who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 and as its prime minister between 2012 and 2020, also reacted to Kissinger’s passing publicly.

“Henry Kissinger has died,” Medvedev posted on X, a platform formerly known as Twitter. “He has faithfully served his country for many years. At the same time, he was a pragmatist who took realities into consideration, and not just followed the US foreign policy canons.” 

Medvedev lamented, “Now, there aren’t even traces of the people like him in the US Administration and the Western world. Rip.” 

Henry Kissinger has died. He has faithfully served his country for many years. At the same time, he was a pragmatist who took realities into consideration, and not just followed the US foreign policy canons. Now, there aren't even traces of the people like him in the US…

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) November 30, 2023