Profile of Ukrainian President Zelenskiy as conflict approaches 100 days

Record ID: 1675238

  • Title: Profile of Ukrainian President Zelenskiy as conflict approaches 100 days
  • Date: 3rd March 2022
  • Summary: KYIV, UKRAINE (RECENT - MAY 8, 2022) (REUTERS) ZELENSKIY AND CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU STANDING IN FRONT OF JOURNALIST; ZELENSKIY PRESENTING DOG AND HANDLER WITH MEDAL, DOG BARKING AND WAGGING TAIL, TRUDEAU PATTING HIS POCKETS DOG SITTING BETWEEN HANDLER'S LEGS
  • Embargoed: 17th March 2022 19:38
  • Keywords: Scholz and Trump Ukraine Ukraine-Russia crisis Volodymyr Zelenskiy profile Zelenskiy at the UN Zelenskiy with Macron
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA00P820601011970RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Volodymyr Zelenskiy swept to power three years ago promising to end a war with Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. He now faces a Russian invasion that could result in the overthrow of his government and the end of Ukrainian democracy.
    Zelenskiy, a comedian-turned-politician, took the oath of office as Ukraine’s new president in May 2019.
    He grew to national fame in a TV comedy portraying a schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes president after a pupil films him making a foul-mouthed tirade against corrupt politicians and posts the video online.
    His campaign exploited the parallels with that fictional narrative, portraying him as an everyman who would stand up to a crooked political class.
    As his first act, he dismissed the parliament still dominated by loyalists of his defeated predecessor Petro Poroshenko and smaller parties, calling an election within two months, giving his new party a chance to win its first seats.
    Ukraine’s most pressing issue is conflict with its neighbour Russia, which annexed its Crimea region in 2014 and backed separatists in a war in the east that has killed 15,000 people.
    Zelenskiy said his first task was to achieve a ceasefire, adding that dialogue could only happen after the return of Ukrainian territory and prisoners of war.
    In September 2019, Ukraine and Russia completed a landmark prisoner exchange.
    In December 2019, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy, in their first face-to-face meeting, took part in nine hours of talks in Paris, brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
    The body language between Putin and Zelenskiy was chilly. There was no public handshake, and they avoided eye contact.
    In January 2022, Zelenskiy hosted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for talks in Kyiv aimed at defusing recent tensions with Moscow.
    There were growing fears from the West that Russia could attack Ukraine. The United States said it will send 3,000 extra troops to NATO members Poland and Romania. Washington and allies said they will not send troops to Ukraine, but warn of severe economic sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin takes military action.
    Zelenskiy had urged people to stay calm about the threat of a Russian attack and said there was work in progress to bring about a meeting between him and the leaders of Russia, France and Germany.
    Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Putin said he authorised a "special military operation" designed to disarm Ukraine, defend Russian speakers from persecution and prevent the United States and its allies from using the country to threaten Russia.
    Russian forces began missile and artillery attacks, striking major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv.
    Ukraine has dismissed Putin's claims of persecution and denies any threat to Russia from Ukraine or Western countries. It says it is fighting an unprovoked land grab.
    Moscow has accused Kyiv of stalling peace talks and using reports of atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine to undermine negotiations. Russia denies targeting civilians.
    In April 2022, Zelenskiy said that there was a high risk that the talks would end, blaming public anger with what he said were Russian atrocities committed as they retreated from parts of northern Ukraine around Kyiv.
    Zelenskiy on Friday (May 27) said Ukraine was not eager to talk to Russia's Vladimir Putin, but that it has to face the reality that this will likely be necessary to end the war.
    (Production: Parul Gupta, Helena Williams, Olga Vyshnevska)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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