Petro Poroshenko, who served as president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, led the country in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity, as it was gripped by demands for sweeping reforms while Russian forces began marching across its borders. His presidency coincided with the onset of the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, while the state also struggled with entrenched corruption and a legacy of post-Soviet bureaucratic structures.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. During his time in office, Poroshenko and his administration worked amid limited Western engagement in the early stages of the war and resistance from domestic power structures that had developed under previous governments. Since leaving office, Poroshenko has remained a prominent political figure as the leader of the European Solidarity party, one of the main opposition forces in Ukraine’s parliament. At the Black Sea Security Forum 2026, Poroshenko had a separate panel session, where Kyiv Post Editor-in-Chief Bohdan Nahaylo conducted a one-on-one conversation with Ukraine’s fifth president. The questions covered a wide range of topics – from how the current situation differs from 2014, when Russia first invaded Crimea and the Donbas, to possible formats for security guarantees for Ukraine, and how much the country has changed during this period. Prior to the panel, Poroshenko also said there’s a genuine opportunity to compel Russia to make peace, and that it must be achieved by uniting efforts both from abroad and within the country.