Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk was born on January 10, 1934 in the Ukrainian village of Velyky Zhytyn, Rivne Oblast.

Leonid Kravchuk was educated at the Department of Econmics of the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, graduating in 1958, and at the Academy of Social Sciences at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CC CPSU), graduating in 1970. He has a Ph.D. in ecoics.

Leonid Kravchuk was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and later a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

Leonid Kravchuk was a member of the Federation Council of USSR and a member of the State Council of USSR.

In 1990, he elected Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine.

From December 1990 to July 1994 Leonid Kravchuk  was the President of Ukraine.

During his time in office, the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence (the document of historical significance) was adopted. The Declaration contains statements that confirm the status of Ukraine as a state that has no nuclear weapons.

When Ukraine voluntarily scrapped all of its nuclear weapons, it was an unprecedented step in modern history.

This step was taken with full realizition that the spread of weapons of mass destruction was a mjor threat to worldwide peace and stability.

In December 1991, Leonid Kravchuk won the presidential election, the first one in the history of Ukraine, and became the first President of the independent Ukraine.

Holding the office of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and of the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk was consistently asserting the statehood of Ukraine, its sovereignty and national security. He prevented armed conflicts in Ukraine that were fought other post-Soviet countries. Largely thanks to his efforts, the war in Afghanistan was the last one in which Ukrainians fought. .

Leonid Kravchuk has played a considerable role in establishing relations with Russia and other post-Soviet countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Thanks to his efforts, Ukraine was recognized by 145 countries and Ukraine’s presige  was enhanced.

For more than two years working under extremely difficult conditions, the first President of Ukraine maintained social stability, finding ways of dealing with political, religious and other issues. Civil war was thus prevented and the territorial integrity of Ukraine was preserved.

Leonid Kravchuk established competent executive executive bodies which ensured the constitutional order in the country and functioning of the national economy.

On the basis of laws passed by the Verkhovna Rada and decrees of the President of Ukraine, he reformed security, defence and law enforcement agencies in Ukraine.

Leonid Kravchuk prevented any use of weapons against the people of Ukraine or in dealing with potentially explosive situations.

He demonstrated exceptional tenacity and discretion during the period of aggravating conflicts between the executive and the legislative branches of power.

With Leonid Kravchuk’s direct participation, the new legislative basis for the new state and its Constitution were created, and the new laws concerning national minorities and freedom of conscience were adopted, the first of its kind in the post-Soviet countries..

His characteristic feature is respect for democracy, civil rights and liberties. The fact that he acknowledged deafat at the presidential elections in 1994 and stepped down as the democratic prodeures required (the first such move in the post-Soviet countries) may serve as an example of his respect for democratic principles.

Today Leonid Kravchuk continues to be engaged in political and social work.

It is no mere chance that it is Leonid Kravchuk who heads the Ukrainian Peace Council, the only high level public peace organization in Ukraine among whose members are well-known political and public figures.