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Petro Poroshenko
Петро Порошенко
Official portrait of Petro Poroshenko.jpg
Official portrait, 2014
5th President of Ukraine
In office
7 June 2014 – 20 May 2019
Prime Minister
Preceded by Oleksandr Turchynov (acting)
Succeeded by Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Minister of Trade and Economic Development
In office
13 March 2012 – 4 December 2012
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov
Preceded by Andriy Klyuyev
Succeeded by Ihor Prasolov
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
9 October 2009 – 11 March 2010
Prime Minister
Preceded by Volodymyr Khandohiy
Succeeded by Kostyantyn Gryshchenko
Secretary of the
National Security and Defense Council
In office
8 February 2005 – 8 September 2005
President Viktor Yushchenko
Preceded by Volodymyr Radchenko
Succeeded by Anatoliy Kinakh
People's Deputy of Ukraine
Assumed office
29 August 2019
Constituency European Solidarity, No. 1
In office
12 December 2012 – 3 June 2014
Succeeded by Oleksii Poroshenko
Constituency Vinnytsia Oblast, No. 12
In office
12 May 1998 – 15 June 2007
Constituency
Personal details
Born (1965-09-26) 26 September 1965 (age 59)
Bolhrad, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Bolhrad, Odesa Oblast, Ukraine)
Political party European Solidarity
(2019–present)
Other political
affiliations
  • SDPU(o) (1998–2000)
  • PSU/S (2000–2013)
  • PRVTSU/PR (2000–2001)
  • NU/NSNU (2005–2012)
  • NASTUP/BOS (2013–2014)
  • Petro Poroshenko Bloc (2014–2019)
Spouse
(m. 1984)
Children 4, including Oleksii
Residences Kozyn, Kyiv Oblast
Alma mater Taras Shevchenko National University
Occupation Businessman and politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
  • Soviet Union
  • Ukraine
Branch/service
Years of service
  • 1984–1986 (Soviet Union)
  • 2022–present (Ukraine)
Rank Major
Battles/wars

Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian politician. He was the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. People sometimes call Poroshenko the "Chocolate King." This is because he owns Roshen, a very large candy company in Ukraine. In 2012, Forbes magazine listed him as a billionaire.

In April 2024, Poroshenko said he plans to run in the next Ukrainian presidential election.

Early life and education

Petro Poroshenko was born on September 26, 1965, in Bolhrad, Ukraine. His father, Oleksiy Poroshenko, was an engineer. He managed several factories in the Ukrainian SSR. His mother, Yevhenia Serhiyivna Hryhorchuk, was an accountant.

Poroshenko spent his childhood in Tighina (now Bender). His father was in charge of a machine-building plant there. Petro learned to speak Romanian during this time.

When he was young, Poroshenko practiced judo and sambo. He was a skilled athlete in these sports.

In 1989, Poroshenko finished his studies at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He earned a degree in economics.

In 1984, Poroshenko married Maryna Perevedentseva. She was a medical student. Their first son, Oleksiy, was born in 1985. They later had three more children.

After university, Poroshenko worked as an assistant in the international economic relations department. While still a student, he started a company. It helped with foreign trade contracts. Later, he began supplying cocoa beans to candy factories in the Soviet Union.

Business career

In 1993, Petro Poroshenko and his father, Oleksiy, started a company called UkrPromInvest. This company focused on making candy and cars.

Between 1996 and 1998, UkrPromInvest took control of several state-owned candy factories. These factories became part of the Roshen group. Roshen grew to be the largest candy maker in Ukraine. Poroshenko's businesses also included car and bus factories. He owned the Kuznia na Rybalskomu shipyard and the 5 Kanal television channel. He also had other businesses in Ukraine.

When he became President of Ukraine, Poroshenko said he gave up managing his businesses. He put them into a special arrangement called a blind trust in 2016.

Associated businesses

Many businesses were once part of the Ukrprominvest group. Poroshenko led this group from 1993 to 1998. The group was later split up in 2012.

  • Roshen group (candy making)
  • 5 Kanal and Priamyi television channels
  • Kuznia na Rybalskomu shipyard in Kyiv
  • International Invest Bank
  • Ukrprominvest-Agro (farming businesses)

Early political career

Poroshenko first became a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's Parliament) in 1998. He represented the 12th district. He was first part of the United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (SDPU). In 2000, he left this party. He then created his own party, called the Party of Ukraine's Solidarity.

In 2001, Poroshenko helped create the Party of Regions. His Party of Ukraine's Solidarity joined the Party of Regions. After that, Poroshenko started a new party with a similar name, "Solidarity."

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council

Mukacheve 2004 Yushchenko and Baloha
Poroshenko and Viktor Yushchenko during a meeting in 2004.

In December 2001, Poroshenko joined the opposition. He became the campaign leader for Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Bloc. After the parliamentary elections in March 2002, Poroshenko won a seat in parliament. He led the parliamentary budget committee.

Poroshenko was a close friend of Yushchenko. Yushchenko is the godfather of Poroshenko's daughters. Poroshenko was a wealthy supporter of Yushchenko. He was also a main financial backer of Our Ukraine and the Orange Revolution. After Yushchenko won the presidential elections in 2004, Poroshenko was made Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Petro Poroshenko (2005 )
Poroshenko at a U.S. Independence Day celebration in Kyiv, 2005.

In September 2005, there were disagreements between Poroshenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As a result, Yushchenko removed his entire government, including Poroshenko and Tymoshenko.

In the March 2006 parliamentary election, Poroshenko was re-elected to the Ukrainian parliament. He was supported by the Our Ukraine group. He became the head of the parliamentary Committee on Finance and Banking.

Poroshenko did not run in the September 2007 parliamentary election. In February 2007, he became the head of the Council of Ukraine's National Bank. He was a board member of the National Bank of Ukraine from 1999 to 2012.

Foreign Minister and Minister of Trade

Yulia Tymoshenko November 2009-4
Poroshenko at a Russian-Ukrainian meeting in 2009.
George Papandreou and Petro Poroshenko 2009
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with former Greek prime minister George Papandreou, December 2009

Ukrainian President Yushchenko chose Poroshenko to be the Foreign Minister on October 7, 2009. Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved him on October 9, 2009. On October 12, 2009, President Yushchenko also put Poroshenko back on the National Security and Defense Council.

Poroshenko supported Ukraine joining NATO. He said that NATO membership should not be the only goal. He was removed as foreign minister on March 11, 2010. However, President Viktor Yanukovych said he hoped to work with him again.

In February 2012, Poroshenko was named the new Minister of Trade and Economic Development. President Yanukovych officially appointed him on March 23, 2012. In the same month, he left his role as head of the Council of Ukraine's National Bank.

Poroshenko stated that he became Minister of Trade and Economic Development to help bring Ukraine closer to the EU.

Return to parliament

Poroshenko returned to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) after the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election. He won as an independent candidate in the Vinnytsia Oblast region. He did not join any political group in parliament. Instead, he became a member of the committee on European Integration.

In 2013, his "Solidarity" party's registration was canceled. This was because it had not taken part in any elections for over 10 years. Poroshenko then started a new group called the "All-Ukrainian Union Solidarity."

2014 Ukrainian revolution

Secretary Kerry Poses for a Photo With Ukrainian Opposition Leaders in Munich
Ukrainian opposition leaders Vitali Klitschko, Poroshenko (second left) and Arsenii Yatseniuk (right) with United States Secretary of State John Kerry (second right) at the Munich Security Conference, 2014.

Poroshenko actively supported the Euromaidan protests. These protests happened between November 2013 and February 2014. His support made him more popular. His television channel, Channel 5, played a big role in showing the protests.

Poroshenko did not join the new government formed after the revolution.

2014 presidential campaign

Poroshenko-2014-en
2014 presidential election percentage of vote for Poroshenko.

After the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, new presidential elections were set for May 25, 2014. In polls from March 2014, Poroshenko had the most support. On March 29, he announced he would run for president. At the same time, Vitali Klitschko decided not to run and supported Poroshenko.

On April 2, Poroshenko said, "If I am elected, I will be honest and sell the Roshen Group." He also said he would not sell his 5 Kanal television channel.

On May 29, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine announced that Poroshenko had won the election. He received 54.7% of the votes.

Presidency (2014–2019)

Unification council of Orthodox Church in Ukraine 114
Inside the Saint Sophia Cathedral during the unification council. From left to right: Poroshenko, Epiphany, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Filaret, 15 December 2018.
Barack Obama meets with Petro Poroshenko, June 5th 2014
U.S. President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Poroshenko, 5 June 2014.
Petro Poroshenko and Donald Trump in the Oval Office, June 2017 (11)
Poroshenko with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., 20 June 2017
Normandy format talks in Minsk (February 2015) 03 (1)
Poroshenko with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, 11 February 2015
Petro Poroshenko in Slovenia in 2016 22
With the president of Slovenia Borut Pahor in Ljubljana, 8 November 2016
Petro Poroshenko and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Poroshenko with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, 3 November 2018
Poroschenko Merkel and Biden Security Conference February 2015
Poroshenko with Angela Merkel and Joe Biden, 7 February 2015.
Petro Poroshenko and Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on April 12, 2019 (2)
Poroshenko with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, 12 April 2019
Ukraine – NATO Commission chaired by Petro Poroshenko (2017-07-10) 38
Poroshenko with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv, 10 July 2017

After winning the election on May 25, 2014, Poroshenko said his first trip as president would be to Donbas. This region had armed pro-Russian rebels. He also promised to continue military actions to stop the rebellion. He said the "anti-terrorist operation" should last "hours," not months.

As president-elect, Poroshenko promised to get Crimea back. Crimea was taken by Russia in March 2014. He also said he would hold new parliamentary elections in 2014.

Inauguration

Poroshenko became president in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on June 7, 2014. In his speech, he said that Ukraine would not give up Crimea. He also emphasized the unity of Ukraine. He promised to offer amnesty (forgiveness) to those involved in the conflict who had not committed serious crimes. But he added, "Talking to gangsters and killers is not our path." He also called for early regional elections in Eastern Ukraine.

Poroshenko said he would sign the economic part of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement. He saw this as the first step toward Ukraine joining the EU. He stated that Ukrainian would be the only state language. However, he also spoke of protecting the development of Russian and other languages in Ukraine. Part of his speech was in Russian.

Petro Porochenko au Conseil de l’Europe Strasbourg 26 juin 2014 03
Poroshenko gives a speech to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, 2014.

Domestic policy

Peace plan for Eastern Ukraine

When Poroshenko became president, armed pro-Russian rebels had declared independence in parts of Donbas. These areas were called the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic. Most countries did not recognize them as real states. Poroshenko started a "peace" plan. It included a cease-fire with the rebels. It also aimed to create a safe path for civilians. Poroshenko warned he had a "Plan B" if his first peace plan failed.

Decentralization of power

Петр Порошенко
Poroshenko in Melitopol (2014)

In mid-June, Poroshenko began changing Ukraine's constitution. The goal was to make Ukraine's government more decentralized. This means giving more power to local areas. Poroshenko said this was a key part of his peace plan. He suggested changing how Ukraine's regions, districts, and communities are organized.

He proposed that local governments could decide the status of the Russian language. They could also decide about other minority languages in their areas. However, Ukrainian would remain the only official state language.

Poroshenko also suggested creating presidential representatives. These people would make sure the constitution and laws are followed. They would also ensure human rights are protected in different regions.

He often spoke against federalization. This means dividing the country into more independent states. He did not try to increase his own presidential powers.

Putin Renzi Poroshenko
Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, October 2014

A draft law for decentralization was proposed on July 1, 2015. It gave local authorities the right to control how their tax money was spent. This law did not give special independent status to Donbas. However, it did give the region some self-rule for three years.

Decommunization

Петро Порошенко під час виступу у Полтаві (2016 рік)
Poroshenko in Poltava (May 2016)

On May 15, 2015, Poroshenko signed a law. This law started a six-month period to remove communist monuments. It also required renaming streets and places with communist names. This process is called decommunization.

Language

In 2016, a new rule began for Ukrainian radio stations. They had to play a certain amount of Ukrainian-language songs each day. The law also required TV and radio to have 60% of their news and analysis programs in Ukrainian.

On September 25, 2017, President Poroshenko signed a new education law. This law states that the Ukrainian language is the main language for teaching at all levels. However, one or more subjects can be taught in other languages. These include English or other official languages of the European Union. The law allowed a three-year period for schools to fully adapt. In February 2018, this period was extended until 2023.

This law received some criticism. Officials from Hungary, Romania, and Russia expressed concerns.

On May 15, 2019, Poroshenko signed another law. This law was about how the Ukrainian language works as the official state language.

In the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, Poroshenko lost to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Personal life

The President's family on the 27th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence - 2018
Maryna Poroshenko (in blue) with some of the couple's children on Ukraine's 27th Independence day, 24 August 2018

Poroshenko has been married to Maryna Perevedentseva since 1984. She is a cardiologist. They have four children: Oleksii (born 1985), twins Yevheniia and Oleksandra (born 2000), and Mykhailo (born 2001). Oleksii became a member of parliament in November 2014. Poroshenko became a grandfather on the day he became president, June 7, 2014.

His wife, Maryna, is very active in the Petro Poroshenko Charity Foundation.

Unification council of Orthodox Church in Ukraine 128
Poroshenko, Metropolitan Epiphanius and Andrii Parubii after the unification council of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on 15 December 2018

Poroshenko is a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Besides his native Ukrainian, he speaks Russian, English, and Romanian.

Poroshenko has diabetes.

Petro Poroshenko addresses Euromaidan
Poroshenko speaking to Euromaidan protesters on 8 December 2013.

Awards

Images for kids

See also

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