Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan's friendship through the years - in pictures

  • Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, left, shakes hands with Ronald Reagan, the US president at the time, at the Geneva conference in November 1985. AP
    Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, left, shakes hands with Ronald Reagan, the US president at the time, at the Geneva conference in November 1985. AP
  • Reagan and Gorbachev meet for the first time before summit talks at the villa Fleur D'Eau at Versoix near Geneva, Switzerland, on November 19, 1985. AP
    Reagan and Gorbachev meet for the first time before summit talks at the villa Fleur D'Eau at Versoix near Geneva, Switzerland, on November 19, 1985. AP
  • Reagan and Gorbachev during their first summit in Geneva. Reuters
    Reagan and Gorbachev during their first summit in Geneva. Reuters
  • Reagan and Gorbachev at the first summit in Geneva. EPA
    Reagan and Gorbachev at the first summit in Geneva. EPA
  • Gorbachev arrives at Keflavik Airport on October 9, 1986, in Reykjavik, Iceland, for several sessions of talks with Reagan. AP
    Gorbachev arrives at Keflavik Airport on October 9, 1986, in Reykjavik, Iceland, for several sessions of talks with Reagan. AP
  • Gorbachev and Reagan talk during their meeting in Reykjavik. AP
    Gorbachev and Reagan talk during their meeting in Reykjavik. AP
  • Reagan and Gorbachev during the summit in Reykjavik. Getty Images
    Reagan and Gorbachev during the summit in Reykjavik. Getty Images
  • As a supporter of the de-Stalinisation programmes of his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev, Gorbachev initiated numerous reforms during his tenure. EPA
    As a supporter of the de-Stalinisation programmes of his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev, Gorbachev initiated numerous reforms during his tenure. EPA
  • Reagan and Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty at the White House in Washington on December 8, 1987. Reuters
    Reagan and Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty at the White House in Washington on December 8, 1987. Reuters
  • Gorbachev and Reagan sign the treaty, which eliminated US and Soviet intermediate-range and shorter-range nuclear missiles. AFP
    Gorbachev and Reagan sign the treaty, which eliminated US and Soviet intermediate-range and shorter-range nuclear missiles. AFP
  • Reagan and Gorbachev exchange pens during the treaty-signing ceremony at the White House. AP
    Reagan and Gorbachev exchange pens during the treaty-signing ceremony at the White House. AP
  • Gorbachev and Reagan share smiles after toasting each other during a dinner hosted at the Soviet embassy in Washington. AFP
    Gorbachev and Reagan share smiles after toasting each other during a dinner hosted at the Soviet embassy in Washington. AFP
  • Reagan talks with Gorbachev during arrival ceremonies at the White House during a three-day summit in Washington in 1987. AP
    Reagan talks with Gorbachev during arrival ceremonies at the White House during a three-day summit in Washington in 1987. AP
  • Gorbachev and Reagan speak to the press in Washington on December 8, 1987. AP
    Gorbachev and Reagan speak to the press in Washington on December 8, 1987. AP
  • Reagan and Gorbachev talk during a walk in Red Square in Moscow, the former Soviet Union, on May 31, 1988. AP
    Reagan and Gorbachev talk during a walk in Red Square in Moscow, the former Soviet Union, on May 31, 1988. AP
  • Reagan and Gorbachev don cowboy hats while enjoying a moment at Reagan's Rancho del Cielo, near Santa Barbara, California, in May 1992. AP
    Reagan and Gorbachev don cowboy hats while enjoying a moment at Reagan's Rancho del Cielo, near Santa Barbara, California, in May 1992. AP
  • Reagan takes Gorbachev for a drive to tour the ranch. Reuters
    Reagan takes Gorbachev for a drive to tour the ranch. Reuters
  • Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, with Reagan and his wife, Nancy, at the ranch in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Reuters
    Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, with Reagan and his wife, Nancy, at the ranch in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Reuters
  • Gorbachev pauses in front of Reagan's casket during his funeral in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, June 10, 2004. EPA
    Gorbachev pauses in front of Reagan's casket during his funeral in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, June 10, 2004. EPA