A former Soviet republic, the Ukraine declared its independence on 24 August 1991. The country’s first president Leonid Kravchuk was followed in the role by another former member of the Soviet Communist Party, Leonid Kuchma. At the presidential elections in 2004, the victory in the ballot (21 November) of the pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych sparked mass public demonstrations by supporters of the pro-western candidate Viktor Yushchenko (the so-called “Orange Revolution”); on 27 November, Parliament declared that the elections were not valid, and the new elections of 26 December were won by Yushchenko. Following the legislative elections in 2006, which were won by the pro-Russian bloc, Yanukovych was elected Prime Minister, but friction between him and the President led to the calling of new elections (held in 2007), after which a pro-western coalition led by Yulia Tymoshenko took office. Russia’s political and economic pressure led to new presidential elections in 2010, won again by V. Yanukovych. In 2012, Y. Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for abuse of public funds. The European Court of Human Rights overturned the verdict and she was released on 22 February 2014.
In light of the suspension requested by Yanukovich of the procedure for the association agreement of the EU, protests and outbreaks of violence (Euromaidan) began in late 2013, culminating in Yanukovich’s flight on 22 February 2014.
The country’s pro-European turn provoked Russia into intervening in Crimea and backing the Russian-speaking republics in eastern Ukraine, leading to the current armed conflict and to secessionist claims by the eastern regions of Donbass, where general elections were held on 11 November 2018 which were not recognized by Ukraine or the international community. In 2019, Russia therefore granted Russian passports to some 125 000 residents of eastern Ukraine. The Association Agreement with the EU was officially ratified in July 2017 and has been in force since 1 September 2017.
According to the Constitution of 28 June 1996, amended in 2004 (the amendments were canceled in 2010 and then restored in 2014), the President of the Republic is elected by direct suffrage for a five-year term; the Prime Minister is appointed by the Parliament (the Supreme Council, consisting of 450 members, elected for five years). New presidential and parliamentary elections must take place by 2019.

Defence.
In 1994 the Ukraine ratified the START I Treaty (forcing it to transfer its nuclear weapons to Russia) and signed the Treaty of Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In 2015, following the outbreak of conflict in the eastern provinces, the US sent about 300 extra troops to the Ukraine to train regular forces. The country continues to stay close to NATO with the joint training mission, Sea Breeze, in the Black Sea in June 2021.

Economic situation.
In 2020, the GDP fell by 4.2% due to the effects of the pandemic. The country has received support from the IMF since June 2020 (5 billion dollars). The government’s objectives for 2021-22 include reducing the deficit (from 5.1 to 3.5% of the GDP) and lowering inflation (approx. 9% in 2021).

Primary sector.
The main agricultural products are cereal crops (wheat, barley, maize, rye, oats, millet) which have some international investment; there are also large amounts of potatoes, sugar beet, and various vegetables. Livestock is also important, especially cattle, pigs and sheep, providing meat, dairy products, eggs and wool.

Secondary sector
Minerals.
The country has large coal deposits in the Donets basin, as well as iron ore. The reserves of natural gas and crude oil, on the other hand, are largely insufficient to meet the internal consumption needs. Ukraine is a crucial transit country for natural gas moving from Russia to Europe, and it was at the centre of constant tension with the former, exacerbated by the current political crisis. The contract for the transit of gas was renewed for 5 years at the end of 2019, averting the risk of interruptions in the flow to the west. The country is crossed by an extensive network of strategic gas pipelines to Europe, in addition to the Druzhba oil pipeline. Other important mineral resources include manganese, magnesite, ilmenite and rutile, uranium, graphite, sulfur, salt, gypsum and peat.
Energy.
Over half of the electricity produced in Ukraine comes from nuclear power plants (15 reactors located in four nuclear power plants in Yuzhnoukrainsk, Rivne, Khmel’nyts’kyi and Zaporizhzhia); the Chernobyl plant (the site of the accident in 1986) ceased production in 2000; in 2020, widespread fires near the plant caused concern.
Industry.
The ongoing crisis and armed conflict have reduced industrial production significantly. Heavy industry, especially steel and metal-working, is well developed. Steel production, in particular, is very high. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry, and the synthetic fibre production industry are also noteworthy. At Lysychans’k, Kremenchuk, Kherson, Drohobych, Nadvirna and Odessa there are oil refineries. There is some mechanical industry: cars, tractors, agricultural machinery, locomotives, and bicycles. Ship-building is concentrated at Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kiev and Kherson. Also of note are the electrical engineering industry and the manufacturing of cement. Other important industries include textiles, timber, paper, tobacco, rubber and tanneries. Another important and developing industrial area is found at Kharkiv, where machinery, pharmaceuticals and food products are all produced.

Tertiary sector
Foreign trade.
Due to trade restrictions with Russia and new agreements with the EU, the EU has become the country’s largest trading partner.

Main exports (M US$ - 2017) iron and steel 9 562, cereals 6 502, vegetable oils 4 514, iron ores 2 589, electrical and electronic equipment 2 548, oil seeds 2 060, machinery 1 693, timber 1 205, residues and wastes of food industry 1 052, chemicals 1 028, furniture and accessories 543, meat 532, apparel and accessories 501, plastics 466, paper 451, fruit and vegetables 432

Finance and banking.
Financial services are particularly important; there is an active stock exchange in Kiev.