Vyacheslav Molotov was a prominent Soviet politician and diplomat, born on March 9, 1890. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1949 and again from 1953 to 1956. Molotov was a close associate of Joseph Stalin and played a key role in shaping Soviet foreign policy during and after World War II. He is perhaps best known for the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression treaty signed between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in 1939. This agreement allowed both countries to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, significantly impacting the course of the war and international relations in the following years.