The Cuban Missile Crisis unfolded in October 1962 when the United States discovered Soviet nuclear missiles stationed in Cuba. Tensions escalated rapidly, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. Through intense diplomacy and negotiation, particularly between President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the crisis was peacefully resolved. The Soviets agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba in exchange for the U.S. pledging not to invade the island and secretly removing its missiles from Turkey.