Country Details
Ukraine
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Belarus, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
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Country name
Conventional long form
none
Conventional short form
Ukraine
Local long form
none
Local short form
Ukraina
Former
Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology
the name derives from the Old East Slavic or Old Russian word ukraina, meaning "borderland," which was used to describe the area on medieval Russia's border at the time of the Tatar invasion in the 13th century
Government type
semi-presidential republic
Capital
Name
Kyiv (Kiev is the transliteration from Russian)
Geographic coordinates
50 26 N, 30 31 E
Time difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology
the origin of the name is unclear; traditionally, the name comes from a Prince Kiy, who is said to have founded the city in the 9th century
Administrative divisions
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities** (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol), Dnipropetrovsk (Dnipro), Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad (Kropyvnytskyi), Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol**, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn (Lutsk), Zakarpattia (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr
Note
note 1: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers; exceptions show the administrative center name in parentheses
note 2: the United States does not recognize Russia's annexation or renaming of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the municipality of Sevastopol; it similarly does not recognize the annexation of the Ukrainian oblasts Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson
note 2: the United States does not recognize Russia's annexation or renaming of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the municipality of Sevastopol; it similarly does not recognize the annexation of the Ukrainian oblasts Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson
Legal system
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Constitution
History
several previous; latest adopted and ratified 28 June 1996
Amendment process
proposed by the president of Ukraine or by at least one third of the Supreme Council members; adoption requires simple majority vote by the Council and at least two-thirds majority vote in its next regular session; adoption of proposals relating to general constitutional principles, elections, and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote by the Council and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on personal rights and freedoms, national independence, and territorial integrity cannot be amended
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth
no
Citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Ukraine
Dual citizenship recognized
no
Residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state
President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (since 20 May 2019)
Head of government
Prime Minister Yulia SVYRYDENKO (since 17 July 2025)
Cabinet
Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, approved by the Verkhovna Rada
Election/appointment process
president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister selected by the Verkhovna Rada
Most recent election date
31 March and 21 April 2019
Election results
2019: Volodymyr ZELENSKYY elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (Servant of the People) 30.2%, Petro POROSHENKO (BPP-Solidarity) 15.6%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (Fatherland) 13.4%, Yuriy BOYKO (Opposition Platform-For Life) 11.7%, 35 other candidates 29.1%; percent of vote in the second round - Volodymyr ZELENSKYY 73.2%, Petro POROSHENKO 24.5%, other 2.3%; Denys SHMYHAL (independent) elected prime minister; Verkhovna Rada vote - 291-59
2014: Petro POROSHENKO elected president in first round; percent of vote - Petro POROSHENKO (independent) 54.5%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (Fatherland) 12.9%, Oleh LYASHKO (Radical Party) 8.4%, other 24.2%; Volodymyr HROYSMAN (BPP) elected prime minister; Verkhovna Rada vote - 257-50
Expected date of next election
scheduled for March/April 2024, but not held because Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022
Legislative branch
Legislature name
Parliament (Verkhovna Rada)
Legislative structure
unicameral
Number of seats
450 (all directly elected)
Electoral system
mixed system
Scope of elections
full renewal
Term in office
5 years
Most recent election date
7/21/2019
Parties elected and seats per party
Servant of the People (254); Opposition Platform - For Life (43); Fatherland (26); European Solidarity (25); Independents (46); Other (30)
Percentage of women in chamber
21.2%
Expected date of next election
May 2025
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)
Supreme Court of Ukraine or SCU (consists of 100 judges, organized into civil, criminal, commercial and administrative chambers, and a grand chamber); Constitutional Court (consists of 18 justices); High Anti-Corruption Court (consists of 39 judges, including 12 in the Appeals Chamber)
Judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court judges recommended by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (a 16-member state body responsible for judicial candidate testing and assessment and judicial administration), submitted to the High Council of Justice, a 21-member independent body of judicial officials; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; High Anti-Corruption Court judges are selected by the same process, with one addition – a majority of a combined High Qualification Commission of Judges and a 6-member Public Council of International Experts must vote in favor of potential judges in order to recommend their nomination to the High Council of Justice; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, the Congress of Judges, and the Verkhovna Rada; judges serve 9-year nonrenewable terms
Subordinate courts
Courts of Appeal; district courts
Political parties
European Solidarity or YeS
Fatherland or VOB
Holos
Servant of the People or SN
Fatherland or VOB
Holos
Servant of the People or SN
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission
Ambassador Olha STEFANISHYNA (since 19 September 2025)
Chancery
3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
Telephone
[1] (202) 349-2963
FAX
[1] (202) 333-0817
Email address and website
emb_us@mfa.gov.ua
https://usa.mfa.gov.ua/en
Consulate(s) general
Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ambassador Julie S. DAVIS (since 5 May 2025)
Embassy
4 A. I. Igor Sikorsky Street, 04112 Kyiv
Mailing address
5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
Telephone
[380] (44) 521-5000
FAX
[380] (44) 521-5544
Email address and website
kyivacs@state.gov
https://ua.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CICA (observer), CIS (participating member, has not signed the 1993 CIS charter), EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Note
note: Ukraine is an EU candidate country and must complete accession criteria before being granted full membership
Independence
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: ca. 982 (VOLODYMYR I consolidates Kyivan Rus); 1199 (Principality (later Kingdom) of Ruthenia formed); 1648 (establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate); 22 January 1918 (from Soviet Russia)
National holiday
Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Note
note: 22 January 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence from Soviet Russia, is now celebrated as Unity Day
Flag
description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and yellow
meaning: the colors date back to medieval heraldry, but they are sometimes said to represent grain fields under a blue sky
meaning: the colors date back to medieval heraldry, but they are sometimes said to represent grain fields under a blue sky
National symbol(s)
tryzub (trident), sunflower
National color(s)
blue, yellow
National anthem(s)
Title
"Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" (Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished)
Lyrics/music
Paul CHUBYNSKYI/Mikhail VERBYTSKYI
History
music adopted 1991, lyrics adopted 2003; current version of the anthem is the first verse of CHUBYNSKYI's poem, plus the chorus
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites
8 (7 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales
Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (c); Lviv Historic Center (c); Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, Chernivtsi (c); Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese, Sevastopol (c); Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region (c); Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n); Struve Geodetic Arc (c); The Historic Centre of Odesa (c)