Biography | Petro Poroshenko — The Verkhovna Rada Oath That Began His Presidency

On June 7, 2014, Petro Poroshenko entered the session hall of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv for the constitutional ceremony that transferred the presidency to him.

The occasion followed the May 25 special election, in which official results gave Poroshenko a first-round majority of 54.7 percent.

Ukraine's diplomatic service and contemporary reporting both identify the parliament as the inauguration venue and June 7 as the day of the oath.

At a special sitting, Poroshenko placed his hand on the Constitution and the Peresopnytsia Gospel, the manuscript traditionally used in Ukrainian presidential inaugurations.

The oath made him the fifth president of independent Ukraine and ended Oleksandr Turchynov's period as acting head of state.

The ceremony came after the Revolution of Dignity, Russia's annexation of Crimea, and the opening months of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

In his inaugural address, Poroshenko treated sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity as immediate duties rather than distant themes.

He also presented a peace plan that combined dialogue with a refusal to surrender Ukraine's claim to Crimea or accept the country's partition.

Those positions gave the oath an unusual weight because the new administration began with constitutional authority restored through an election while state borders and public security remained contested.

The parliamentary setting mattered because the presidency formally changed hands before elected deputies, the Constitutional Court, and visiting foreign dignitaries rather than through a campaign rally or party event.

This pin marks the Verkhovna Rada building at 5 Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street, the verified public building where the ceremonial sitting occurred.

It does not identify Poroshenko's precise position inside the chamber, and it records no residence, private movement, security route, or present-day routine.

The cover image is an official photograph made inside the Verkhovna Rada during the June 7 inauguration, showing Poroshenko at the rostrum as the oath text was presented.

Photo: Presidential Administration of Ukraine, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons