Ukraine's Poroshenko claims presidency, vows European course
Confectionery magnate Petro Poroshenko claimed Ukraine@@@s presidency on Sunday after exit polls gave him a clear absolute majority of first-round votes and he pledged to steer the ex-Soviet state into the European mainstream."All the polls show that the election has been completed in one round and the country has a new president," said the burly 48-year-old billionaire who has long experience in government.At his campaign headquarters, he told supporters the majority of Ukrainians had given him a mandate to continue a course of integration with the rest of Europe but said his first priority was to travel to the east of the country to end "war and chaos" caused by pro-Russian separatist rebels.ByREUTERS06/08/2025 07:57 AMByREUTERS06/08/2025 05:36 AMByMAARIV06/07/2025 02:33 PMByWALLA!06/07/2025 11:18 AMByREUTERS06/07/2025 03:25 AM