[79] On 22 April, U.S. president Donald Trump congratulated Zelenskyy on his victory over the telephone. [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. [122], On 24 March 2021, Zelenskyy signed the Decree 117/2021 approving the "strategy for de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. President Poroshenko and his supporters claimed that Zelenskyy's victory would benefit Russia. Parliament also confirmed Andrii Zahorodniuk as defence minister, Vadym Prystaiko as foreign minister and Ivan Bakanov as head of the SBU. [42][43][c] Once again, Zelenskyy spoke out against the intention of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to ban Russian artists from Ukraine.[39]. [104] United States government official. [70] Although Zelenskyy initially said he would only serve a single term, he walked back this promise in May 2021, saying he had not yet made up his mind. Prior to the elections, Zelenskyy presented a team that included former finance minister Oleksandr Danylyuk and others. His party gained 254 of the 424 seats. [144], Zelenskyy's first official trip abroad as president was to Brussels in June 2019, where he met with European Union and NATO officials. He added that Putin "wants to scare the whole world" with nuclear blackmail. [19][36] In 2003, Kvartal 95 started producing TV shows for the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1, and in 2005, the team moved to fellow Ukrainian TV channel Inter. [268], In response to suggestions to the contrary, he stated in April 2019 that he regarded Russian president Vladimir Putin "as an enemy". ][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. Andriy Biletsky, the leader of the far-right National Corps and first commander of Azov, accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful to army veterans and of acting on behalf of the Kremlin by leaving Ukrainians vulnerable to Russian aggression. [277] He also said that Russian artists "who have turned into (anti-Ukrainian) politicians" should remain banned from entering Ukraine. [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. [284] The couple's first daughter, Oleksandra, was born in July 2004. He invited African leaders for virtual meeting but only four of them attended. Zelenskyy's strategy during the Russian military buildup was to calm the Ukrainian populace and assure the international community that Ukraine was not seeking to retaliate. Men, women, the elderly, children, fathers, and most importantly, mothers. [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". [142][143] On 20 January 2020, Prystaiko followed up by giving a briefing to the press in the Office of the president of Ukraine and saying that he would explain everything about the visit that when the time came. [82], Zelenskyy was inaugurated on 20 May 2019. [136][137] Soon, rumors began that Zelenskyy may have had some additional meetings beside the ones that were announced. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood . [282][283] Kiyashko worked as a scriptwriter at Kvartal 95. 18h Ukraine government official A meaningful and symbolic visit of President @valstsgriba to Ukraine. [249] Zelenskyy's election manifesto mentioned tariffs only oncethat money raised from a capital amnesty would go towards "lowering the tariff burden on low-income citizens". According to Zelenskyy, since the beginning of the invasion, Chinese President Xi Jinping had refused to speak with him. 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. [266][267] As he considered the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic (DPR and LPR) to be Russia's "puppets", it would "make no sense to speak with them". "[258], In February 2022, he applied for Ukraine to join the European Union. [101], In June 2021, Zelenskyy submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a bill creating a public registry of Ukraine's oligarchs, banning them from participating in privatizations of state-owned companies, and forbidding them from contributing financially to politicians. I am outraged by the spread of this lie, no matter what the president's motives are. 1997-2003 - Actor, performer, script writer, producer of the stand-up . More From Britannica In Zelenskyy's 2014 movie 8 New Dates, their daughter played Sasha, the daughter of the protagonist. It's a great, pleasure to be once more here in Kyiv to reaffirm the depth of the partnership between our two peoples. When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2014, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. pressed President Barack Obama to take decisive action, and fast, to . [175] In an early morning address that day, Zelenskyy said that his intelligence services had identified him as Russia's top target, but that he is staying in Kyiv and his family will remain in the country. 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. [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. [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. Born to a Ukrainian Jewish family, Zelenskyy grew up as a native Russian speaker in Kryvyi Rih, a major city of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine. [78] French president Emmanuel Macron received Zelenskyy at the lyse Palace in Paris on 12 April 2019. [267] In an interview published three days before the 2019 presidential election (on 21 April), Zelenskyy stated that he was against granting the Donbas region "special status". In 2015, Zelenskyy became the star of the television series Servant of the People, where he played the role of the president of Ukraine. [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. [111][112] Zelenskyy also dismissed and replaced 20 of the governors of Ukraine's 24 oblasts. [114], Following the elections, Zelenskyy nominated Oleksiy Honcharuk as prime minister, who was quickly confirmed by parliament. Critics said it risked increasing media censorship in Ukraine[97] because its clause of criminal responsibility for the distribution of disinformation could be abused. [261], Zelenskyy supported the late 2013 and early 2014 Euromaidan movement. [246][247] He met with President Joe Biden and addressed Congress delivering his full speech in English. We will be right by your side to rebuild a modern, prosperous Ukraine firmly anchored on our common European path. [55], Zelenskyy's presidential campaign against Poroshenko was almost entirely virtual. Her primary message, however, was not necessarily to Ukrainians but to people living in the countries just to its west, who are watching Russian President Vladimir Putin and wondering where he. [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. The position of vice president also exists in the executive structure of many other governments and businesses. MUNICH (AP) Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday heralded NATO unity during the escalating Ukraine crisis and warned Russia that the U.S. and Western allies stood ready to respond with tough sanctions if President Vladimir Putin moves forward with an invasion of Ukraine. [250][251], During his presidential campaign, Zelenskyy said that he supported Ukraine's becoming a member of the European Union and NATO, but he said Ukrainian voters should decide on the country's membership of these two organisations in referendums. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war We will find every scum who was shelling our cities, our people, who was shooting the missiles, who was giving orders. [109] Former deputy foreign minister Olena Zerkal declined an appointment as deputy head of the presidential administration, but did agree to serve as the Ukrainian representative of the international courts concerning Russia. [56] Zelenskyy stated that he was not hiding from journalists but that he did not want to go to talk shows where "people of the old power" were "just doing PR" and that he did not have time to satisfy all interview requests.[63]. '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? In 1997 . Ukraine's vice prime minister called on SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk to help the embattled nation with communication satellites on Saturday, as they faced a third day of assaults from Russia .. Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., was born November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the first of four siblings. 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. [34] Zelenskyy helped fund a volunteer battalion fighting on Donbas. On 20 May, 2019 sworn in as the 6 th President of Ukraine. "I looked at them and said, 'I'm leaving in six hours,'" Biden told the crowd, taking a long look at his watch for effect . 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. [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. [248], In a mid-June interview with BIHUS info[uk] a representative of the president of Ukraine at the Cabinet of Ministers, Andriy Herus stated that Zelenskyy had never promised to lower communal tariffs, but that a campaign video in which Zelenskyy stated that the price of natural gas in Ukraine could fall by 2030 per cent or maybe more was a not a direct promise but actually "half-hinting" and "joking". The vice president also serves as the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate, a role that is mostly ceremonial but that gives the vice president the tie-breaking vote when the Senate is deadlocked. But no . "[233], On 3 May 2022, Zelenskyy accused Turkey of having "double standards" by welcoming Russian tourists while attempting to act as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine in order to end the war. Just like people in Ukraine. People. [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. [47] The first version of the script was written in Ukrainian but was translated into Russian for the Lithuanian actress Agn Grudyt. According to Article 102 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the President of Ukraine is the Head of State and acts in its name, is the guarantor of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine, rights and freedoms of man and citizen. 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 . For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700. [87], Zelenskyy's first major proposal to change the electoral system from a plurality voting system to proportional representation with closed party lists was strongly rejected by the Ukrainian parliament, due to the belief that closed lists would lead to more corruption in government. "The Polish government announced Tuesday that it was putting its fleet of MiG jets at American disposal to supply to Ukraine . Thank you for the principled defense and political support, for the clear understanding that the aggressor cannot be given a single chance. Good afternoon, everyone. [290] British newspaper Financial Times selected Zelenskyy as Person of the Year in 2022. 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. [225], In April 2022, Zelenskyy criticized Germany's ties with Russia. [183][186][187][188] BBC News and The Guardian have reported that his response to the invasion has received praise even from previous critics. THE VICE PRESIDENT: Mr. President, I may have to call you once every couple weeks just to hear your voice. As president, Zelenskyy has been a proponent of e-government and of unity between the Ukrainian and Russian speaking parts of the country's population. Kyiv, Ukraine. [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. [86], On 28 May, Zelenskyy restored the Ukrainian citizenship of Mikheil Saakashvili. [226] In May 2022, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian men of conscription age had a duty to remain in Ukraine and that up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers were killed every day in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. [119] Honchurak's hasty departure caused disquiet both in Ukraine and abroad, with many economists and political observers warning it would bring instability. "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. People. 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. [192], Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for direct talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin,[193] saying: "Good Lord, what do you want? On 7 March 2022, Czech president Milo Zeman decided to award Zelenskyy with the highest state award of the Czech Republic, the Order of the White Lion, for "his bravery and courage in the face of Russia's invasion". Zelenskyy has denied that he was pressured by Trump and declared that "he does not want to interfere in a foreign election. Later, the movie was dubbed into Ukrainian. [196] On 8 March, Zelenskyy expressed willingness to discuss Putin's demands. Since 2015, Ukraine has banned Russian artists and other Russian works of culture from entering Ukraine. [202] The video is considered to be the first use of deepfake technology in a global-scale disinformation attack. [73], Zelenskyy stated that as president he would develop the economy and attract investment to Ukraine through "a restart of the judicial system" and restoring confidence in the state. This has been going on a long time. Mr. Fedorov, 31, the youngest member of. By AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW LEE February 18, 2022. I am sure there are. Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., represented Delaware for 36 years in the U.S. Senate before becoming the 47th and current Vice President of the United States. Blinken also commented on Vice President Kamala Harris's announcement in Munich that the U.S. had formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. The only candidate who finished near the former president, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, finished with only 20 percent of the .