Berlin - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev criticized NATO and European Union (EU) policies towards Russia on Thursday, speaking on German radio.

The Nobel peace laureate said the eastern expansion of NATO had been a "big mistake," adding that the "unilateral actions" of the alliance were supposed to resolve many problems. "That didn't work," the 78-year-old said in his interview with Deutschlandfunk radio.

Of the EU, Gorbachev said it was "surprising and also disappointing," that Europe had just watched the demise of Russia under Boris Yeltsin and was "clearly pleased."

Gorbachev said the current Russian President Dmitri Medvedev was trying to further democracy in the country, but needed more supporters. Medvedev, he said, still lacked experience. (dpa)