The newly elected Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko steps into the position having promised his countrymen he will end violence and fix the Ukrainian economy.
That means facing pro-Russian separatists, wooing Ukrainian businessmen and resolving an energy crisis over Russian imports of natural gas.
Poroshenko, a billionaire who made his money through a chocolate company, is an experienced politician who has sat as an independent for the last three years.
While Poroshenko has said his first task will be to end the violence that plagues many areas in eastern Ukraine, voters are also counting on him to fix a troubled economy, experts said.
As a politician and a businessman, Poroshenko is known for pragmatism. His ties to both Russian oligarchs and Ukraine’s business elite are believed to be an advantage as he struggles to keep the economy operating.
Ukraine's crisis began in 2013 when trade talks with the European Union became a divisive issue and led to mass protests against then president Viktor Yanukovich. Since then, Yanukovich has fled to Russia, pro-Russia separatists have taken control of Crimea and sanctions from the West have eaten into the economies of both Russia and the Ukraine.
Ukraine’s treasury is empty and the business sector has been hurt by Russian efforts to block Ukrainian products. Business activities have slowed and companies admit they’ve put new development, expansion and investment on hold.
But more pressing may be a June 3 deadline set by Russian natural gas provider Gazprom to pay its gas bill or be cut off. The country is dependent on Russia for its energy.
On Monday, European Union's energy commissioner said Russia and Ukraine had reached a tentative deal over Ukraine's gas debt, with state energy company NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy agreeing to pay Gazprom $2 billion.
Poroshenko could be headed into EU-brokered talks in Berlin on Friday with Russia to decide on the price his country will pay for gas in future.
In April, Gazprom cancelled the price discount offered on Russian gas and Russia imposed an export duty.
The price of gas to Ukraine rose to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters in the first week of April from $268.50 in the first quarter.
If Gazprom made good on its threat to cut off access to gas, it could lead to a disruption in gas supply to the rest of Europe, as pipelines pass across Ukrainian territory. Europe gets a third of its gas from Russia, half of which flows through Ukraine.
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