Poroshenko Takes Presidential Oath in Kiev, Says Crimea Is 'Ukrainian Soil'

KIEV, Ukraine – Billionaire candy magnate Petro Poroshenko took the oath in Kiev on Saturday to serve as the fifth president of Ukraine and pledged to bring peace and unity to the conflict-torn country as fierce battles that have pushed it to the brink of civil war raged on.

Poroshenko, 48, also boldly declared that he would chart a path toward European integration and would move immediately to sign a free-trade pact with the EU, saying, “The pen is in my hand.”

Inside a packed parliament, Poroshenko was sworn in more than three months after lawmakers ousted his disgraced predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia in late February and is evading mass-murder charges after his security forces killed more than 100 anti-government demonstrators in Kiev during the three months of Euromaidan protests. Read more...