News from
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Communications and Publications
Stanhope Hall
Princeton, New Jersey 08544-5264
TEL 609/258-3600 FAX 609/258-1301

Release: Jan. 20, 1995
Contact: Patricia Coen (609/258-5764)


Former President of Ukraine
to Speak at Princeton

Princeton, NJ--Leonid Kravchuk, president of Ukraine from 1992 to
1994 and currently a member of the Ukrainian parliament, will
speak on "Ukraine and Russia: Promoting Interethnic Harmony and
Stability" at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of
Public and International Affairs on Wednesday, February 1, at 4:30
p.m. in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Leonid Kravchuk, who holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Ukraine
Academy of Social Sciences, was the deputy secretary of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukraine. An
advocate of independence and democratic reform, he attempted to
restructure the party into a parliamentary-type organization. He
left the party in 1991 when he realized its involvement with the
leadership of the Communist party of Russia.

"Ukraine's bid for independence, led by Kravchuk, was the last
straw for the U.S.S.R., and a key reason for its collapse," noted
Assistant Professor of Politics William Wohlforth. "Kravchuk was
in a very delicate position, and he did an excellent job of
balancing Ukraine's desire for independence with the interests of
the 15 million Russians who live in the Ukraine."

Kravchuk was elected head of the Ukrainian Parliament in July of
1990 and president of the Ukraine in December of 1991. He lost
the presidency in a run-off election in the summer of 1994, and
was elected to the Ukraine Parliament in September of that year.

His talk is being sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School, the
Center of International Studies, and the University's Program in
Russian Studies.

---