Volodymyr Zelenskyy

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician, actor, and comedian who has served as the sixth president of Ukraine since May 2019. Born on January 25, 1978, in Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine, Zelenskyy initially pursued a career in entertainment. He graduated from Kyiv National Economic University with a law degree, but he did not practice law, instead shifting his focus to comedy and acting. Zelenskyy gained national fame as the star of the television series Servant of the People, which aired from 2015 to 2019. In the show, he played a schoolteacher who accidentally becomes the president of Ukraine after a video of his anti-corruption rant goes viral.

In 2018, Zelenskyy transitioned from entertainment to politics, founding a political party named after his television show, Servant of the People. Despite his lack of political experience, he ran for the presidency in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, campaigning on an anti-corruption platform and promising to reform Ukraine's political system. He won the election with a significant majority, defeating incumbent President Petro Poroshenko in the second round with more than 73% of the vote.

Zelenskyy's presidency has been marked by efforts to address corruption, improve the economy, and negotiate peace in the ongoing conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. His administration has sought to strengthen ties with the European Union and NATO while also navigating relations with Russia. One of the key challenges of his presidency came in 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy became a prominent figure on the international stage, refusing to leave the capital, Kyiv, despite the threat to his life and leading his country through the war.

Throughout the conflict, Zelenskyy has consistently called for military and financial support from Western nations, advocating for stronger sanctions against Russia and more aid to defend Ukraine's sovereignty. His leadership during the war has been widely recognized, earning him praise from many international leaders.