The Coat of Arms of Ukraine features the same colors found on the Ukrainian flag: a blue shield with yellow trident—the symbol of ancient tribes that once lived in Ukraine, later adopted by Ruthenian rulers.

In the most popular (but never officially adopted) variant, the Great Coat of Arms, the shield is supported by a crowned lion from the Galician Coat of Arms on the left and a cossack in traditional dress, wielding a musket, the symbol of the hetmanate on the right. The Coat of Arms is crowned with the crown of Volodymyr the Great, symbolizing Ukrainian sovereignty, and decorated with red fruits and wheat at the bottom.

One of the alleged spellings out of the trident is ВОЛЯ, which means "freedom" in Ukrainian.