BERLIN — To Germans, the 41st president of the United States, George Bush, was the man who helped ensure the peaceful reunification of their country. To Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the Soviet Union, he exemplified great kindness. To many Kuwaitis, he was a hero for the 100-hour ground war that routed Iraqi forces from their country.

And in the United States, President Trump and the other living presidents of both parties issued a series of statements honoring the man who served his country for more than 40 years.

“With sound judgment, common sense, and unflappable leadership, President Bush guided our nation, and the world, to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War,’’ the White House said in a statement on behalf of the president and the first lady, Melania Trump. “As president, he set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed.’’

Bush, a Republican, drew praise from both sides of the aisle, as Democrats and Republicans alike commended his commitment to service.

Former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, who lost to Bush in the 1988 presidential election, praised the foreign policy legacy of his former political foe.

‘‘Obviously we disagreed pretty strongly on domestic policy and I wasn’t thrilled with the kind of campaign he ran, but I think his greatest contribution was in negotiating the end of the Cold War with Mikhail Gorbachev,’’ Dukakis told the Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the former first lady, said in a statement that “George H.W. Bush’s life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling. And he did tremendous good along the journey.’’

Jimmy Carter said Bush’s administration was “marked by grace, civility, and social conscience.’’

In a piece published in The Washington Post, Bill Clinton fondly recalled the letter he received from Bush, his predecessor, upon assuming office.

“There will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair,’’ Bush wrote. “I’m not a very good one to give advice; but just don’t let the critics discourage you or push you off course.’’

Despite their differences, Clinton said, he admired Bush’s accomplishments, calling their friendship “one of the great gifts of my life.’’

“To the end, we knew we would never agree on everything, and we agreed that was OK,’’ Clinton said. “Honest debate strengthens democracy.’’

Around the globe, former and current leaders offered condolences that were steeped in praise for the depth of his abilities as a statesman and his refusal to grandstand — which commentators noted was in sharp contrast to the tone of the current US administration.

“Germany owes a lot to George H.W. Bush,’’ Chancellor Angela Merkel wrote in a telegram to Trump. “It was a stroke of luck in German history that he was at the head of the United States of America when the Cold War came to an end and Germany’s reunification became possible.’’

Merkel praised Bush for recognizing “the significance of this historical hour’’ and giving Germans “his trust and support.’’

Bush’s calm, controlled reaction to the end of communism in Europe earned him respect on the continent as a senior statesman, despite his decisions to send US troops into Panama and to launch the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, underscored Bush’s skillful negotiation among the former adversaries of the Cold War.

“It was a dramatic time that demanded great responsibility from everyone,’’ he told the Interfax news agency. “The result was an end to the Cold War and the nuclear arms race.’’

One example of Bush’s approach: On the morning of Nov. 10, 1989, as news reached Washington that the Berlin Wall had fallen peacefully the previous night, Bush called Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany to wish him “lots of luck.’’

Historians have noted that while Ronald Reagan gets the credit for urging Gorbachev to “tear down that wall,’’ it was Bush who later succeeded in persuading the Soviet leader, as well as President François Mitterrand of France and deeply skeptical Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain, to allow the two German nations to reunite.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia recalled Bush as “an exceptional person’’ who “showed political wisdom and foresight, strived to make balanced decisions even in the most challenging situations.’’

In the Middle East, Bush’s legacy was more nuanced, given his decision to end the war after 100 hours that pushed the Iraqi army out of Kuwait but left Saddam Hussein in power.

Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, praised “his pivotal role in forming an international coalition, mandated by the UN to liberate the state of Kuwait’’ after the invasion by Iraq in 1990, the Kuna news agency said.

In Israel, then under the leadership of Yitzhak Shamir, there had been little warmth in the relationship with the Bush administration. Bush had strong opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, while Shamir insisted on continued construction.

But Israeli leaders had praised Bush for helping to liberate Soviet Jews, as well as for helping waves of Ethiopian Jews to reach Israel.