A political outsider, he had already become one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election. 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 . [114], Following the elections, Zelenskyy nominated Oleksiy Honcharuk as prime minister, who was quickly confirmed by parliament. [19] Zelenskyy also played the leading role in the 2012 film 8 First Dates and in sequels which were produced in 2015 and 2016. [78] French president Emmanuel Macron received Zelenskyy at the lyse Palace in Paris on 12 April 2019. [58] He said he wished to restore trust in politicians, "to bring professional, decent people to power" and to "change the mood and timbre of the political establishment". [170][171], On the morning of 24 February, Putin announced that Russia was initiating a "special military operation" in the Donbas. [146], In September 2019, it was reported that U.S. president Donald Trump had allegedly blocked payment of a congressionally mandated $400 million military aid package to Ukraine to pressure Zelenskyy during a July phone call between the two presidents to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden,[69][147] who took a board seat on Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings. [270], Zelenskyy opposes the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, calling it "a dangerous weapon, not only for Ukraine but for the whole of Europe. [157], On 26 November 2021, Zelenskyy accused Russia and Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov of backing a plan to overthrow his government. [4]:710 His party won a landslide victory in the snap legislative election held shortly after his inauguration as president. We were mistaken. . [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. Ukraine needs real reforms. [49] Zelenskyy's election campaign had centred on pledges to clean up the government of Ukraine. [156], In April 2021, in response to Russian military build-up at the Ukrainian borders, Zelenskyy spoke to American president Joe Biden and urged NATO members to speed up Ukraine's request for membership. 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 . [291], Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi, an extinct species of feather star described on 20 July 2022 by a group of Polish paleontologists, is named after Zelenskyy "for his courage and bravery in defending free Ukraine".[304][305]. [50][51][62] On 16 April 2019, a few days before the election, 20 Ukrainian news outlets called on Zelenskyy to "stop avoiding journalists". In 2019, he served as charg d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv and as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 . [89][90] In June 2019 it was announced that the president's third major initiative, which seeks to remove immunity from lawmakers, diplomats and judges, would be submitted after the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election. Zelenskyy turned down both offers and opted to remain in Kyiv with its defense forces, saying that "the fight is here [in Kyiv]; I need ammunition, not a ride". In 1997 . [234] On 25 May 2022, Zelenskyy said that he was satisfied with China's policy of staying away from the conflict. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Chairman, members of the Rada, ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply honored to be invited to speak to you today at a moment marked by great opportunity . [282][283] Kiyashko worked as a scriptwriter at Kvartal 95. [174] On 25 February, Zelenskyy said that despite Russia's claim that it was targeting only military sites, civilian sites were also being hit. [238], On 20 June 2022, Zelenskyy addressed African Union (AU) representatives via videoconference. ", "Leaders of Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia to visit Kyiv on Tuesday", "A Zelensky Deepfake Was Quickly Defeated. The speech was widely described as "emotional" and "astonishing". You will not have a quiet place on this earth except for a grave. [217][218][219], On March 23, Zelenskyy was calling on Russians to emigrate from Russia so as not to finance the war in Ukraine with their taxes. [254] Zelenskyy's electoral programme claimed that Ukrainian NATO membership is "the choice of the Maidan and the course that is enshrined in the Constitution, in addition, it is an instrument for strengthening our defense capability". MUNICH Vice President Kamala Harris declared on Saturday that the United States had formally concluded that Russia has committed "crimes against humanity" in its invasion of Ukraine, and. [86], On 28 May, Zelenskyy restored the Ukrainian citizenship of Mikheil Saakashvili. [106] Under the rules of Lustration in Ukraine, introduced in 2014 following Euromaidan, Bohdan is not entitled to hold any state office until 2024 (because of his government post during the Second Azarov Government). Detractors noted that elections held in Donbas were unlikely to be free and fair, that the separatists had long driven out most pro-Ukrainian residents out of the region to ensure a pro-Russia majority, and that it would be impossible to ensure Russia kept its end of the agreement. The group operates eight Ukrainian TV channels and broadcast the Servant of the People TV series from 2015 until 2019, featuring Zelenskyy in a comedian role as a national president. whitehouse.gov. Its Jewish president lost family in the Holocaust", "Zelensky offers insight into family history, igniting debate over Ukrainian Holocaust memory", "3 years ago Zelenskyy was a TV comedian. [129], In December 2019, Russia and Ukraine agreed to resume talks mediated by France and Germany under the so-called Normandy Format, which had been abandoned in 2016; it was Zelenskyy's first face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin. [34] Zelenskyy helped fund a volunteer battalion fighting on Donbas. The attack was largely deemed to have failed at its intended goal. Just like people in Ukraine. [104] The EU will be with you and your people tomorrow and for as long as it takes. [221][222][223] The Communist Party of Ukraine, another pro-Russia party, had already been banned in 2015 because of its support to the Donbas separatists. [105], Zelenskyy appointed Andriy Bohdan as head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine. [31], Before starting elementary school, Zelenskyy lived for four years in the Mongolian city of Erdenet, where his father worked. 00:51. [285][286][287][288] His assets were worth about 37 million (about US$1.5 million) in 2018. [269] On 2 May 2019, Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook that "the border is the only thing Russia and Ukraine have in common". CPAC Straw Poll: Trump Wins in Blow Out - Donald Trump dominated the 2023 CPAC Straw Poll. 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? [257], In October 2020, he spoke in support of Azerbaijan in regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. [33] He later earned a law degree from the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics, then a department of Kyiv National Economic University and now part of Kryvyi Rih National University, but never worked in the legal field. [255] The programme also states that Zelenskyy "will do everything to ensure" that Ukraine can apply for European Union membership in 2024. For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700. 1:31h Biograph Fox Videos, "Who Is Volodymyr Zelensky? [125] On 11 July 2019, Zelenskyy held his first telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin, during which he urged Putin to enter into talks mediated by European countries. "They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state", he said. [39] Since 2015, Ukraine has banned Russian artists and other Russian works of culture from entering Ukraine. [148] This report was the catalyst for the TrumpUkraine scandal and the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. 17 February 2023. "[236], On 30 May 2022, Zelenskyy criticized EU leaders for being too soft on Russia and asked, "Why can Russia still earn almost a billion euros a day by selling energy? [103] The bill was passed into law in September 2021. A collection of sixteen of Zelenskyy's speeches as president have been collected in a book. [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. 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. [47] The first version of the script was written in Ukrainian but was translated into Russian for the Lithuanian actress Agn Grudyt. [56][57] He did not release a detailed policy platform[58] and his engagement with mainstream media was minimal;[56][d] he instead reached out to the electorate via social media channels and YouTube clips. Who does not want this more than anyone? Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor . [229] In early June 2022, Zelenskyy's adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in combat every day. [126][127] The two leaders also discussed the exchange of prisoners held by both sides. He has positioned himself as an anti-establishment and anti-corruption figure. [38], Zelenskyy was a member of the board and the general producer of the TV channel Inter from 2010 to 2012. Today, we're announcing new actions to lower mortgage payments and help more people realize that dream. 'I am more responsible than brave', "Ukraine still backs Zelenskyy despite slow progress", "Military tactics: Zelensky plays both sides in Ukrainian crisis", "Ukraine war: what are Russia's strategic aims and how effectively are they achieving them? And the truth is that this needs to stop, before it is too late. President Charles Michel, EU-Ukraine summit, 3 February 2023. The interlocutors discussed preparations for the 5th Conference on Reforms in Ukraine, which will be held on July 4-5, 2022 in the Swiss city of Lugano. [54] His announcement up-staged the New Year's Eve address of incumbent president Petro Poroshenko on the same channel,[54] which Zelenskyy said was unintentional and attributed to a technical glitch. [96], In 2020, Zelenskyy's party proposed reforms to Ukraine's media laws with the intent to increase competition and loosen the dominance of Ukrainian oligarchs on television and radio broadcasters. 11:58 A.M. (Local) THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. [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. [76][77] Polish president Andrzej Duda was one of the first European leaders to congratulate Zelenskyy. Kyiv, Ukraine. [74], Zelenskyy clearly won the first round of elections on 31 March 2019. He was sworn in on January 20, 2021. Now he's standing up to Putin's army", ": , , , , ", " ()", "How funny is the comedian who may be Ukraine's next president? Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak is convinced that by their heroic struggle against Russian aggression, Ukrainians have reminded the world of the true values of democracy and freedom, which always prevail. [115] Arsen Avakov, a controversial figure due to longstanding corruption allegations,[116] was kept on as interior minister, with Honcharuk arguing that the relatively inexperienced government needed experienced administrators and that Avakov had been "'drawn red lines' that cannot be crossed. In Zelenskyy's 2014 movie 8 New Dates, their daughter played Sasha, the daughter of the protagonist. [102] Fixing the referendum law had been one of Zelenskyy's campaign promises. [79] On 22 April, U.S. president Donald Trump congratulated Zelenskyy on his victory over the telephone.

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