Born in Russia, he was an early member of the Bolsheviks and a staunch supporter of Stalin after Lenin’s death. As Commissar (later Minister) for Foreign Affairs (1939–49; 1953–56), he negotiated the non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany (1939) and after 1945 represented the Soviet Union at meetings of the United Nations, where his frequent exercise of the veto helped to prolong the cold war. He was expelled from his party posts in 1956 after quarrelling with Khrushchev.