Petro Poroshenko

**Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko** (; born 26 September 1965 in Bolhrad) is a Ukrainian billionaire businessman. He became President of Ukraine on 7 June 2014. He lost his re-election in 2019 to comedian Volodymyr Zelensky.

Poroshenko was the People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 9th convocations (1998-2014, since 2019). He is a founder of the Solidarity Party of Ukraine and one of the co-founders of the Labor Solidarity Party of Ukraine, which later changed its name to the Party of Regions. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2009-2010) in the second government of Yulia Tymoshenko and Minister of Trade (2012) in the government of Mykola Azarov. He was a member of the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine (2007-2014).

Elected President of Ukraine in May 2014, winning 54.7% of the vote in the first round. During his presidency, he suspended active Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and gained Ukraine's foreign policy support from Western (Europe and North America) countries. Under his presidency, Ukraine received a visa-free regime with the EU (2017). He contributed to the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (2018-2019). He initiated unprecedented reforms in the army, education, medicine, public administration, etc. He ran in the 2019 presidential election, but lost to producer and showman Volodymyr Zelensky in the second round.

In addition to his political activities, Poroshenko is engaged in business and is considered one of the Ukrainian oligarchs; regularly ranks in the rankings of the wealthiest Ukrainians. He is partly the owner of the Roshen confectionery corporation, several automobile and bus factories, the 5 TV channel, etc.

## Biography

The Poroshenko family is documented in the 1835 census in Safyany, Izmail County, Bessarabian Province. The family belongs to the community of Ukrainian burghers. The family lived on the lands of the Ust-Danube Budzhak Cossack army.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Petro Poroshenko
- **image**: File:EPP Congress Rotterdam - Day 1 (52113152023) (cropped).jpeg
- **office**: 5th President of Ukraine
- **primeminister**: Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Volodymyr Groysman
- **term start**: 7 June 2014
- **term end**: 20 May 2019
- **predecessor**: Oleksandr Turchynov
- **successor**: Volodymyr Zelensky
- **office2**: 2nd Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (Ukraine), Minister of Trade and Economic Development
- **primeminister2**: Mykola Azarov
- **term start2**: 23 March 2012
- **term end2**: 24 December 2012
- **predecessor2**: Andriy Klyuyev
- **successor2**: Ihor Prasolov
- **office3**: 9th Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister of Foreign Affairs
- **primeminister3**: Yulia Tymoshenko
Oleksandr Turchynov
- **term start3**: 9 October 2009
- **term end3**: 11 March 2010
- **predecessor3**: Volodymyr Khandohiy
- **successor3**: Kostyantyn Gryshchenko
- **office4**: 4th Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, National Security and Defense Council
- **president4**: Viktor Yushchenko
- **term start4**: 8 February 2005
- **term end4**: 8 September 2005
- **predecessor4**: Volodymyr Radchenko
- **successor4**: Anatoliy Kinakh
- **birthname**: Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko
- **birth place**: Bolhrad, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
- **party**: Independent (politician), Independent
- **otherparty**: Solidarity (Ukraine), Solidarity
Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united), Social Democratic Party

Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, Our Ukraine-People's Self-defence Bloc
- **spouse**: Maryna Poroshenko
- **children**: Olexiy
Yevheniya
Oleksandra
Mykhaylo
- **alma mater**: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, National University of Kyiv
- **signature**: Petro Poroshenko Signature 2014.png