[265], In an interview in December 2018, Zelenskyy stated that as president he would try to end the ongoing war in Donbas by negotiating with Russia. Vitold Fokin was approved as the first Prime Minister of Ukraine . [107] Bohdan, however, contended that because heading the presidential administration is not considered civil service work, lustration did not apply to him. [183][184] Harvard Political Review said that Zelenskyy "has harnessed the power of social media to become history's first truly online wartime leader, bypassing traditional gatekeepers as he uses the internet to reach out to the people. [55], Zelenskyy's presidential campaign against Poroshenko was almost entirely virtual. Zelenskyy announced his candidacy in the 2019 presidential election on the evening of 31 December 2018, alongside the New Year's Eve address of then-president Petro Poroshenko on the TV channel 1+1. [120] In his 4 March address to the Rada,[121] Zelenskyy recommitted to reforms domestic and financial, and remarked that he "cannot always become a psychologist for people, a crisis manager for someone, a collector who requires honestly earned money, and a nanny of the ministry in charge. [239] On 20 July 2022, South America's Mercosur trade bloc refused Zelenskyy's request to speak at the trade bloc's summit in Paraguay. [74] He also proposed a tax amnesty and a 5 per cent flat tax for big business which could be increased "in dialogue with them and if everyone agrees". [19][34], At age 17, he joined his local team competing in the KVN comedy competition. Do Russians want war? The headline on the March 10 article reads, "Vice President Kamala Harris laughs at the plight of Ukraine; at idea of America offering assistance." It was published on The Raging Patriot blog . [45], Zelenskyy worked mostly in Russian-language productions. [192], Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for direct talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin,[193] saying: "Good Lord, what do you want? In the absence of the prime minister of Ukraine, the first vice prime minister performs his or her duties [a] as the acting prime minister. [113], In the 21 July 2019 parliamentary election, Zelenskyy's political party, Servant of the People, won the first single-party majority in modern Ukrainian history in parliament, with 43 per cent of the party-list vote. President Joe Biden is being briefed "regularly" on the situation in Ukraine by his national security team at the White House this weekend, press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. You will not have a quiet place on this earth except for a grave. [268] In the interview he also said that if he were elected president he would not sign a law on amnesty for the militants of the DPR and LPR. [119] Honchurak's hasty departure caused disquiet both in Ukraine and abroad, with many economists and political observers warning it would bring instability. [181] A Pew Research Center poll found that 72% of Americans had confidence in Zelenskyy's handling of international affairs. He disputed claims of the Russian government about the presence of neo-Nazis in the Ukrainian government and stated that he had no intention of attacking the Donbas region, while highlighting his personal connections to the area. [133] Although the ceasefire was frequently violated over the next few years and overall violence remained high, ceasefire violations in 2020 did decrease by over 50 per cent compared to the previous year. [31], Before starting elementary school, Zelenskyy lived for four years in the Mongolian city of Erdenet, where his father worked. Burisma hired Hunter Biden to serve as a board member in 2014 when his vice president father was leading the Obama administration's Ukraine policy and paid him up to $1 million per year, despite . [220] In March 2022, Zelenskyy supported the suspension of 11 Ukrainian political parties with ties to Russia: the Socialist Party of Ukraine, Derzhava, Left Opposition, Nashi, Opposition Bloc, Opposition Platform For Life, Party of Shariy, Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Union of Leftists, and the Volodymyr Saldo Bloc. As early as October 2018, three months before his campaign announcement and six months before the presidential election, he was already a frontrunner in opinion polls. Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy[a] (also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy;[b] born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former comedian and actor who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. [261], Zelenskyy supported the late 2013 and early 2014 Euromaidan movement. ", "Ukraine adopts new and improved referendum law", "Ukraine's referendum law passed during Yanukovych's presidency designated as unconstitutional", "Zelenskyy speeds up corruption crackdown, one oligarch at a time", "Ukrainian lawmakers pass law on oligarchs after assassination attempt", "Ukraine: why Volodymyr Zelensky is pursuing a disruptive agenda", " . It's a great, pleasure to be once more here in Kyiv to reaffirm the depth of the partnership between our two peoples. [183][186][187][188] BBC News and The Guardian have reported that his response to the invasion has received praise even from previous critics. Nevertheless he was criticised for a lack of transparency and critics pointed out he had once criticized his predecessor Poroshenko for taking an undisclosed vacation in the Maldives. Zelenskyy said: "We support Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty just as Azerbaijan always supports our territorial integrity and sovereignty. [200], On 15 March 2022, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, together with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jana, visited Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy in a display of support for Ukraine. [179][189] During the invasion, Zelenskyy has been reportedly the target of more than a dozen assassination attempts; three were prevented due to tips from Russian FSB employees who opposed the invasion. ", "How Ukraine's Presidential Race Is Shaping Up", "Comedian faces scrutiny over oligarch ties in Ukraine presidential race", "Volodymyr Zelensky: April 1 an awesome day for a clown to win", "Ukraine media demands access to runoff frontrunner Zelensky", "The World Just Witnessed the First Entirely Virtual Presidential Campaign", "Ukraine election: Why comic Zelenskiy is real threat to Poroshenko", "Crowdsourcer In Chief: Ukrainian Funnyman Takes Unorthodox Path To Top Of Presidential Pack", "Zelensky: Party "Servant of the people" goes into politics", " " " ", "Ukraine elections: actor and comedian poised to win crushing victory", "Ukraine election: Poroshenko attacks Zelensky before runoff", "Rivals in Ukraine's presidential runoff hold bitter debate at sports stadium", "How the Ukraine Scandal Looks in Ukraine", " vs : ", " : , ", " : "", " , ", " ", "Central Election Commission of Ukraine Ukrainian Presidential Election 2019 (first round)", "Ukraine election: Comedian Zelensky wins presidency by landslide", "Election of President of Ukraine 2019 Repeat voting", " ", " ", "Ukraine vaults into unknown after comic elected president", "Joint letter of President Tusk and President Juncker to Volodymyr Zelensky, President-elect of Ukraine Consilium", "Ukraine's New President Vows To Dissolve Parliament As PM, Other Key Officials Resign", "Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised international partners that the world would be proud of Ukraine", "New Ukraine President Zelensky calls snap election", "Zelensky may dissolve parliament despite People's Front withdrawal from coalition expert", "Georgia's Saakashvili has Ukrainian citizenship restored", "UAWire Ukrainian parliament rejects Zelensky's proposal to change election system", " , ", "Quick win for Zelenskiy as Ukraine parliament strips lawmakers' immunity", "Zelensky cancels Independence Day parade on August 24 citing costs", "Zelensky cancels Independence Day military parade, gives money to soldiers | KyivPost Ukraine's Global Voice", "No Independence Day parade to be held this year, Zelensky says", "Bonuses instead of parade: Ukraine's leader takes surprising decision", "Voice of America: Journalists see censorship in Ukraine's proposed media laws", "Journalists See Specter of Censorship in Ukraine's Proposed Media Law", " " ", " . Joe Biden's presidential administration has formally concluded that Russia has committed crimes against humanity during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, US vice-president Kamala Harris . Vitaliy. "[245] On 21 December 2022, Zelenskyy visited the United States on his first foreign trip since the war began. nov., a first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Africa", "Fossil Named After Ukraine's President Zelenskyy", "NFL Honors Highlights Defenders of Ukraine", Who is Volodymyr Zelenskyy? It was not even close. We will not forgive. [152] President Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska also took part in the opening of the Ukrainian House in Washington, D.C.[151] On the same trip, he met with Apple CEO Tim Cook[153] and with Ukrainians in senior positions at Silicon Valley tech companies[154] and spoke at Stanford University. [235] In August 2022, he said China had the economic leverage to pressure Putin to end the war, adding "Im sure that without the Chinese market for the Russian Federation, Russia would be feeling complete economic isolation. For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700. March 12, 2022 After war began last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine turned to Mykhailo Fedorov, a vice prime minister, for a key role. During the first two years of his administration, Zelenskyy oversaw the lifting of legal immunity for members of parliament (the Verkhovna Rada),[5] the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession, and some limited progress in tackling corruption in Ukraine. But the answer depends only on you, the citizens of the Russian Federation. [148] This report was the catalyst for the TrumpUkraine scandal and the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. Please not that all time are approximate and are subject to change. [91] This initiative was completed on 3 September, when the new parliament passed a bill stripping lawmakers of legal immunity, delivering Zelenskyy a legislative victory by fulfilling one of his key campaign promises. [198] Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party said that Ukraine would not give up its claims on Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. Nausda wyrni ukraiskiego odpowiednika", "Prezydent Ukrainy W. Zeeski odznaczony Nagrod Ora Jana Karskiego", "UK's Johnson gives Churchill award to Ukraine's Zelenskyy", "Zelenskyy wins Ronald Reagan Freedom Award", "Zelenskyy gets John F. Kennedy award for defending democracy", "Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. [243] He also said that Putin is aware that the "world will never forgive" a Russian nuclear strike. ][41], After the Ukrainian media had reported that during the Russo-Ukrainian War Zelenskyy's Kvartal 95 had donated 1 million to the Ukrainian army, some Russian politicians and artists petitioned for a ban on his works in Russia. [285][286][287][288] His assets were worth about 37 million (about US$1.5 million) in 2018. [132] In July 2020, Zelenskyy announced a formal ceasefire with the separatists the more than twentieth such attempt since the war began in 2014. [49] Around the time of his 2019 election, Zelenskyy handed his shares in a key offshore company over to Sergei Shefir, but the two men appear to have made an arrangement for Zelenskyy's family to continue receiving the money from these companies. If you don't want to leave now, sit down with me at the negotiating table. [201] On 16 March 2022, a deepfake appeared online of Zelenskyy calling on Ukrainian citizens to surrender to Russia. . "There are emails and photographs that show that President Biden, while he was vice president, met several of Hunter Biden's business associates, including a Burisma executive that's the. The comedy series Svaty ("In-laws"), in which Zelenskyy appeared, was banned in Ukraine in 2017,[44] but unbanned in March 2019. I am sure there are. Just like people in Ukraine. [66][67][68][69] On 19 April 2019 at Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex presidential debates were held in the form of a show. Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "agreed on the importance of giving Ukraine the military momentum they need to secure victory against tyranny," according to a . [174] On 25 February, Zelenskyy said that despite Russia's claim that it was targeting only military sites, civilian sites were also being hit. The government of Ukraine understands and is conscious that the money is given only to those countries that actually overcome and fight corruption. Recounting a trip to Kyiv in late 2015, Biden described telling the then-president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, that he had to fire the prosecutor general or the US would not release $1 billion in loan guarantees. [127] In October 2019, Zelenskyy announced a preliminary deal struck with the separatists, under which the Ukrainian government would respect elections held in the region in exchange for Russia withdrawing its unmarked troops. Regular people. These companies included some that owned expensive London property. Zelenskyy met personally with some of these groups and tried to convince them to surrender their unregistered weapons and accept the peace accord. 2000 - Graduated from Kyiv National Economic University, with a law degree. Then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, right, and US Vice President Joe Biden, left, shake hands during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 16, 2017. 0 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Talk 99.5: Fox News' Tucker Carlson asks what Attorney General Merrick Garland is doing in Ukraine, and wonders why no one. ", "Ukraine-Russia crisis: Ceasefire violations rise at contact line", "OSCE in Donbas reports 55% less ceasefire violations in 2020", " , ", " , , ", " " " ", " , ", Prystaiko about the visit of Zelensky to Oman: When time comes we will explain ( : ), "Zelensky to meet EU officials on first foreign visit", "Ukrainian president to resume exhumation of Poles in Ukraine: report", "Biden Faces Conflict of Interest Questions That Are Being Promoted by Trump and Allies", "The Biden family's strange business history", "Ukrainian President Denies President Trump Pressured Him", "Biden, Zelensky Discuss Energy, Russia, Ukraine's Future With the West", "President Zelensky, First Lady open Ukrainian House in Washington", "Zelensky arrives to Washington to meet Blinken, Granholm, Biden", "Zelensky to meet with Apple CEO in California on Sept 2, visit Silicon Valley, speak at Stanford University", "In California, Zelensky meets with Ukrainians working at Silicon Valley companies", "Zelensky at Stanford: 'Russia's policy is to take, not give', Top Adviser to Ukrainian President Is Targeted in an Assassination Attempt, "Ukraine's Zelensky on frontline as Merkel urges Putin to pull back troops", "Zelensky warns Ukraine 'entirely prepared' if Russia attacks", "Zelenskiy says Ukraine uncovers coup plot involving Russians; Kremlin denies role", "Ukraine's Zelenskiy Says Ready for Russian Escalation, Claims Coup Plot Uncovered", "EU threatens Russia sanctions as NATO backs Ukraine", "Some Ukrainians Are Angry About Washington Ordering Diplomats' Families To Leave The US Embassy", "Volodymyr Zelensky accuses the West of causing 'panic' with warnings of a Russian invasion that hurts the Ukrainian economy", "Ukraine to the world: keep calm and stop spreading panic", "Ukraine crisis: US president Joe Biden tells Zelensky to 'prepare' for Russian invasion", "Ukraine's president told Biden to 'calm down' Russian invasion warnings, saying he was creating unwanted panic: report", "Ukraine is 'longing for peace' says Zelensky at Munich Security Conference", "Full Translation: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Feb. 23 Speech", "Volodymyr Zelensky's appeal to Russians: 'The people of Ukraine want peace', "London Playbook: BREAKING: Putin declares war Bombs Kyiv Blasts rock major cities", "Ukraine conflict: Russian forces attack from three sides", " ", "Ukrainian president signs decree on general mobilisation of population -Interfax", "Ukraine president orders full military mobilisation", "Putin Unbowed as Russia Presses Ahead With Invasion Toward Kyiv", "U.S. stands ready to evacuate Zelensky, Russia's 'No. [99][100], In January 2021, parliament passed a bill updating and reforming Ukraine's referendum laws,[101] which Ukraine's Constitutional Court had declared unconstitutional in 2018. What a great honor for me to be able to represent my country before such an august audience. [10] He initially distanced himself from warnings of an imminent war, while also calling for security guarantees and military support from NATO to "withstand" the threat.
