Skip to content
Placeholder image for when a portrait image is not available

Kravchuk, Leonid Makarovych 1934- 2022

Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk was a Ukrainian politician and a key supporter of the Ukrainian independence movement.

Biography

Placeholder image for when a portrait image is not available

Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk was a Ukrainian politician and a key supporter of the Ukrainian independence movement.

Kravchuk was born in Velyky Zhytyn, which was part of Poland at the time of his birth. He joined the Ukrainian Communist Party in 1958, and rose through the ranks of the party and in its agitation/propaganda department.

He became a member of the Ukrainian politburo in 1989 and the chairman of the Supreme Soviet in 1990. As the Soviet government weakened Kravchuk became the effective leader of the Ukrainian republic, and he left the Soviet communist party in August 1990 to support the Ukrainian independence movement. He officially declared his support for Ukrainian independence after the August 1991 Soviet coup attempt. Later in 1991 he was elected President of Ukraine in Ukraine's first elections, and Ukraine became independent.

Kravchuk ran for a second term as President in 1994, but was defeated by his former Prime Minister, Leonid Kuchma. In 1998, Kravchuk joined the United Social Democratic Party. He remained active in Ukrainian politics, serving as a member of Parliament and as the leader of the United Social Democratic Party from 2002-2006.

Connected Conn.

Popular Documents

November 25, 1991

The Chancellor's [Helmut Kohl's] Meeting with Russian President Yeltsin on Thursday, 21 November 1991

Kohl and Yeltsin discuss Russia-Ukraine relations, Russian debt and finance issues, the question of Volga-Germans and the release of Honecker from the Chilean embassy.

December 23, 1991

Conversation between the Head of the Chancellor’s Office, Federal Minister Bohl, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Zlenko on 21 December 1991, 9.00 - 10.00 Hours

Bohl and Zlenko analyze the situation in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet Union's formal dissolution. They disuss the fate of the remaining nuclear weapons and armaments in Ukraine and the prospects for their dismantlement. They also review plans for the withdrawal of "Soviet" soldiers from Germany and their return to Ukraine.

December 3, 1991

The Chancellor's [Helmut Kohl's] Telephone Conversation with President Mikhail Gorbachev, Tuesday, 3 December 1991, 14:05 – 14:15 Hours

Kohl and Gorbachev talk about Ukraine's desire for independence and its ramifications. They also examine Gorbachev's ideas for further reforms in the Soviet Union.

February 4, 1992

The Chancellor's [Helmut Kohl's] Conversation with the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, Tuesday, 4 February 1992

Kohl and Kravchuk discuss Ukraine-Russia relations and problems within the newly established Commonwealth of Independent States. They review the prospects for the dismantlement of nuclear and chemical weapons in Ukraine.

January 18, 1994

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation: Telcon with Chancellor Kohl of Germany on January 18, 1994

Clinton and Kohl discuss the political and economic situation in Russia, negotiations with Ukraine over dismantling its nuclear stockpile, and other international issues.
View All Documents View Visualization