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epa10148331 (FILE) Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) take a seat underneath a large photo print of themselves at the John F. Kennedy Museum at Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany, 24 February 2011 (reissued 30 August 2022). According to a Moscow Central Clinical Hospital statement, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91. As a supporter of the de-Stalinization programs of his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev, Gorbachev initiated numerous reforms during his tenure. He signed a nuclear arms treaty with the United States and withdrew the Soviet Union from the Soviet-Afghan war. His policies created freedom of speech and press, and decentralized fiscal policy planning and execution to increase efficiency. Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, overseeing Russia's transition from one party rule to fragile democracy. EPA/JESCO DENZEL / POOL *** Local Caption *** 02599747