Arseniy Yatsenyuk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arseniy Yatsenyuk
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Арсеній Яценюк
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Yatsenyuk in 2018
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| 15th Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
| In office 27 February 2014 – 25 July 2014 |
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| President | Oleksandr Turchynov (acting) Petro Poroshenko |
| Deputy | Vitaly Yarema Hennadiy Zubko |
| Preceded by | Oleksandr Turchynov (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Volodymyr Groysman (acting) |
| In office 31 July 2014 – 14 April 2016 |
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| President | Petro Poroshenko |
| Preceded by | Volodymyr Groysman (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Volodymyr Groysman |
| 8th Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada | |
| In office 4 December 2007 – 12 November 2008 |
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| President | Viktor Yushchenko |
| Preceded by | Oleksandr Moroz |
| Succeeded by | Oleksandr Lavrynovych (acting) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 21 March 2007 – 4 December 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Preceded by | Volodymyr Ohryzko (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Volodymyr Ohryzko |
| Minister of Economy | |
| In office November 2003 – February 2005 |
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| In office 27 September 2005 – 4 August 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Yuriy Yekhanurov |
| Preceded by | Serhiy Teryokhin |
| Succeeded by | Volodymyr Makukha |
| First Vice-President of the National Bank of Ukraine | |
| In office September 2001 – January 2003 |
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| Minister of Economy of Crimea | |
| In office 9 March 2005 – 27 September 2005 |
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| First Deputy Governor of Odesa | |
| In office 11 December 2012 – 4 March 2014 |
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| Faction Leader of All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" Party in the Verkhovna Rada | |
| In office 2009–2012 |
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| Head of Front for Change (Ukraine) | |
| Personal details | |
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Arseniy Petrovych Yatsenyuk
22 May 1974 Chernivtsi, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Political party | People's Front (2014–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc (Before 2007) Front for Change (2008–2013) Dictatorship Resistance Committee (2011–2014) Fatherland (2013–2014) |
| Spouse |
Tereziya Victorivna Hur
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Chernivtsi University Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics |
| Signature |  |
| *Volodymyr Groysman served as Acting Prime Minister from 25 July 2014 – 31 July 2014. | |
Arseniy Petrovych Yatsenyuk (born on May 22, 1974) is a well-known Ukrainian politician. He is also an economist and a lawyer. He served as the Prime Minister of Ukraine two times. His first term was from February 2014 to November 2014. His second term was from November 2014 to April 2016. He was the youngest person to become Ukraine's foreign affairs minister.
Yatsenyuk's first government job was as the Minister of Economy from 2005 to 2006. After that, he became the Foreign Minister in 2007. From 2007 to 2008, he was the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, which is like the speaker of Ukraine's parliament. He was a leader in the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" party. He became Prime Minister after the 2014 revolution. In September 2014, he started a new party called People's Front. He resigned as Prime Minister in April 2016 and was replaced by Volodymyr Groysman. He is now the head of the Kyiv Security Forum and started the Open Ukraine Foundation.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Arseniy Yatsenyuk was born on May 22, 1974, in Chernivtsi, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Now, it is in Ukraine. His father was a history professor at Chernivtsi National University. His mother taught French. Yatsenyuk can speak Ukrainian, Russian, and English. He also knows some Romanian.
His Family Background
Yatsenyuk says his family is Ukrainian. He is a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Some of his family came from Romania.
School and University
Yatsenyuk started studying at Chernivtsi University in 1992. While he was there, he even started a student law firm. He finished university in 1996. Later, he studied at the Chernivtsi Trade-Economics Institute. He has a law degree and a master's degree in accounting. He also earned a Ph.D. in economics.
Legal and Banking Work
From 1992 to 1997, Yatsenyuk was the president of a law firm called Yurek Ltd. in Chernivtsi. From 1998 to 2001, he worked at the Aval bank in Kyiv. He then became the first vice-president of the National Bank of Ukraine from 2003 to 2005. After the president of the bank left, Arseniy Yatsenyuk was put in charge for a short time.
Political Journey
From 2001 to 2003, Yatsenyuk worked as the Minister of Economy for Crimea. Later, from March to September 2005, he served as the vice-governor of Odesa Oblast.
Minister of the Economy (2005–2006)
From September 2005 to August 2006, he was the Minister of Economy of Ukraine. In this role, he led talks for Ukraine to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). This was a big step for Ukraine's economy.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine (2007)
In March 2007, Ukraine's President, Viktor Yushchenko, suggested Yatsenyuk for the job of Foreign Minister. The parliament approved him with many votes. As Foreign Minister, he talked about Ukraine's move to a market economy, saying it was a success. In July 2007, he started the Open Ukraine Foundation. This foundation aims to improve Ukraine's image around the world.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (2007–2008)
In the 2007 elections, Yatsenyuk was elected to parliament. On December 4, 2007, he was chosen as the Chairman of the Parliament. This is a very important role, like being the leader of the country's main law-making body.
In 2008, Yatsenyuk, along with other leaders, wrote a letter to NATO. They asked for a plan for Ukraine to join NATO. This caused some disagreements in parliament. In September 2008, during a political crisis, Yatsenyuk offered to resign. On November 12, 2008, parliament accepted his resignation. After this, he said he would create a new political group.
Presidential Campaign (2010)
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In December 2008, Yatsenyuk announced he would create a political party based on his "Front of Changes" initiative. In April 2009, he said he would run for President in the 2010 election. His campaign cost a lot of money, mostly spent on TV appearances.
After the election, Yatsenyuk wanted to dissolve the parliament. He believed it would stop him from working effectively. In February 2010, he was offered a high position in the new government, but he turned it down. He wanted early parliamentary elections instead. In April 2010, he officially became the leader of the "Front for Change" party.
Parliament Faction Leader
In the October 2012 parliamentary election, Yatsenyuk ran on a party list with the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" party. He said his "Front of Changes" party would continue to exist. The "Fatherland" party, along with others, won many seats in parliament. Yatsenyuk led this election list because the "Fatherland" leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, was in prison. On December 12, 2012, Yatsenyuk was chosen as the leader of the "Fatherland" parliamentary group.
In June 2013, his "Front for Change" party officially joined the "Fatherland" party.
In January 2014, President Viktor Yanukovych offered Yatsenyuk the job of prime minister. But Yatsenyuk refused because his demands were not met. He believed the people of Ukraine should decide the country's future.
Prime Minister of Ukraine
First Term (February–August 2014)
Yatsenyuk became the new Prime Minister of Ukraine after the 2014 revolution. This revolution removed the former president, Viktor Yanukovych, from power. The new government officially started on February 27, 2014. After becoming Prime Minister, Yatsenyuk began to distance Ukraine from Russia. Russia had taken control of Crimea after a vote there. Yatsenyuk described his government's mission as a "kamikaze" mission, meaning it was very difficult and risky.
On March 21, 2014, Ukraine signed an important agreement with the European Union. This agreement was about political cooperation. The economic part was planned for later.
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On July 24, 2014, Yatsenyuk announced he was resigning as prime minister. This happened after the group of parties supporting his government fell apart. Parliament had failed to pass important laws about military funding and energy. Yatsenyuk said that politicians were putting their own interests before the country's fate. However, parliament did not officially accept his resignation that day. On July 31, 2014, parliament refused his resignation.
In September 2014, Yatsenyuk started a new party called People's Front. This party won many seats in the August 2014 parliamentary election.
Second Term (August 2014 – April 2016)
Yatsenyuk was confirmed as prime minister again in the new parliament. Many members of parliament voted for him. In July 2015, Yatsenyuk announced a successful trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine.
In February 2016, Yatsenyuk's time as Prime Minister began to end. The economy minister resigned, saying the government was not serious about fighting corruption. On February 16, 2016, President Petro Poroshenko asked Yatsenyuk to resign. Parliament voted that the government's work was not good, but they did not vote to remove him. Later, some parties left the group supporting Yatsenyuk's government.
On April 10, 2016, Yatsenyuk announced he would resign. On April 14, 2016, parliament accepted his resignation. He was replaced by Volodymyr Groysman. Yatsenyuk's party, People's Front, remained in the government group. He said this was the only way to protect the country.
After Being Prime Minister
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In August 2017, Yatsenyuk bought a part of a TV channel called Espreso TV. In December 2017, he sold his share to an American company.
In 2020, a group called VoxUkraine looked at how well the last four Ukrainian governments had done. They said that Yatsenyuk’s second government made the most progress in government changes, including fighting corruption.
Before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yatsenyuk said Russia was the "biggest threat." He also criticized how the then-President was handling the situation.
In July 2022, after a deal was signed to allow grain to be shipped from Ukraine, Yatsenyuk said he did not trust any deals with Russia. He noted that Russia often breaks agreements. Soon after the grain deal was signed, a missile hit the Port of Odesa.
In August 2022, Yatsenyuk said that Russia planned to use the winter weather against Ukraine. At that time, Russia controlled a large part of Ukraine's energy supply.
Political Views
In 2009, Yatsenyuk clearly stated that he did not want Russian to become the second official language in Ukraine.
As early as 2012, Yatsenyuk wanted Ukraine to join the European Union. He believed this would bring better education, healthcare, jobs, and freedoms to Ukraine. He also wanted Ukraine to have visa-free travel with EU countries. He said that the EU would not sign an agreement with Ukraine until it had fair elections and stopped political persecution.
In 2012, Yatsenyuk was against Ukraine joining the Eurasian Customs Union. He said that joining it would be like bringing back the Soviet Union in a new way. He believed it would make Ukraine part of the "Russian empire" again, and Ukraine did not want to go back to that.
On August 21, 2013, Yatsenyuk said that Russia was trying to build a new "Berlin Wall" between Ukraine and the European Union.
In November 2009, he suggested creating a special government position for issues related to Crimea.
In April 2010, Yatsenyuk called for parliament not to approve the Kharkiv Pact. This agreement would have extended Russia's lease on a naval base in Crimea.
In November 2009, he said that Ukraine's "shadow economy" (hidden economic activity) was part of the political system. He believed that to fix this, the whole system needed to change. He also wanted to create a shared energy company with EU countries and Russia.
In 2010, Yatsenyuk said it was impossible to fight corruption without changing the government system. He believed the system was still too much like the Soviet Union's.
In July 2010, he wrote a law that would fine officials who ignored citizens' complaints.
In November 2009, he suggested holding a public vote (referendum) on whether Ukraine should have an "open list" voting system. He likes referendums because he thinks they give power back to the people. He also believed that decisions about Russia's navy in Ukraine or Ukraine joining NATO should be made by a referendum.
In January 2015, Yatsenyuk gave an interview where his words were misunderstood. He talked about the "Soviet invasion both in Ukraine, including, and in Germany." Some people twisted his words to make it seem like he said the Soviet Union started World War II against Germany. However, he was actually talking about the Soviet occupation of Ukraine and East Germany after World War II. He wanted to show how Russia's actions today were similar to past Soviet actions. Ukrainian officials later clarified this.
In April 2016, Yatsenyuk said that state-owned companies should be sold to private owners in a clear and open way, except for very important ones. He also wanted independent leaders for all public companies.
In April 2016, Yatsenyuk stated that Ukraine needed a "strict policy towards any aggressor country," meaning Russia. He said there should be "no deals and compromise at the expense of Ukraine." He called for Ukraine's land to be returned, including Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. He also wanted sanctions against Russia to continue until Ukraine's land is fully restored.
Family Life
Yatsenyuk is married to Tereza Viktorivna. They have two daughters named Khrystyna and Sofiya. Tereza's parents were philosophers. Yatsenyuk's family has lived near Kyiv since 2003. He also has a sister, Alina Petrivna Jones, who lives in the United States.
Open Ukraine and Kyiv Security Forum
Arseniy Yatsenyuk leads the Open Ukraine Foundation. This international foundation is based in Ukraine. It was started in July 2007 to "strengthen and develop Ukraine's reputation in the world." Open Ukraine works with young artists, scholars, and community leaders who want to make positive changes in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Security Forum was also started by the Open Ukraine Foundation in 2007. It is an event held every year where important people discuss national security and security in Europe and around the world. The forum helps people share ideas about global security in an open way. It brings together government officials, experts, leaders from different organizations, and journalists.
The Open Ukraine Foundation works with many partners, including the NATO Information and Documentation Centre and the United States Department of State.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the Open Ukraine Foundation has been helping the Ukrainian army and people in areas affected by the war. They have provided a lot of aid.
On December 1, 2022, the Open Ukraine Foundation held the annual Kyiv Security Forum in Ukraine's capital. Important people from NATO, the United States, and the European Council attended.
Awards and Honors
Cavalier of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise Fifth Class – awarded on February 7, 2008, for his important work in helping Ukraine join the World Trade Organization.- Medal "For the Glory of Chernivtsi" (2008)
- Cavalier of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise Fourth Class – awarded on June 19, 2017, for his important work in helping Ukraine join Europe, getting visa-free travel with the EU, and making Ukraine more respected in the world.
Images for kids
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Arseniy Yatsenyuk's signature
See also
In Spanish: Arseni Yatsenyuk para niños
