KIEV, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of independent Ukraine, died at the age of 88, Ukraine's Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said on Tuesday.
"Leonid Makarovych (Kravchuk) was a wise patriot of Ukraine, a truly historical figure in gaining our independence," Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Kravchuk served as Ukrainian president between December 1991 and July 1994. Later, he served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the leader of parliamentary group Social Democratic Party of Ukraine.
Kravchuk was also honorary president of the Ukraine-China Friendship Society. ■