About: Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Zelenskiy signals government reshuffle as experts warn against reform backpedal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signaled a potential reshuffle of his government on Wednesday (26 February) that local media said could include axing Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk in favor of businessman and veteran politician Serhiy Tihipko.
Poroshenko fights selective justice ‘at the orders of Zelenskiy’
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is fighting a court decision to have him brought in by force for questioning by the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI). Poroshenko's lawyers and his party said this latest development illustrates what the West calls “selective justice” in Ukraine.
Risk still there for Ukraine to become frozen conflict – OSCE chief
Despite recent rapprochement between Ukraine and Russia, the full implementation of the Minsk agreements is still "miles away" and there is still a risk that the separatist regions could turn into another "frozen conflict", OSCE Secretary-General, Thomas Greminger, said in an interview with EURACTIV.
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy wants ‘legitimate’ local elections in Donetsk, Luhansk
Addressing the Munich Security Conference on Saturday (15 February), Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy repeated his plea for Western support, while indicated his openness to hold local elections in the separatist-held regions of Donetsk and Lugansk together with the rest of the country in October.
Senior appointments in Moscow and Kyiv point to tentative thaw
New senior appointments in Moscow and Kyiv on Tuesday (11 February) pointed towards a tentative thaw in ties, after the Ukrainian president's new chief of staff offered guarded praise for the man put in charge of the Ukraine file in the Kremlin.
OSCE warns Ukraine over disinformation bill
A new bill aimed at curbing the spread of disinformation in Ukraine could pose a risk to freedom of expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe warned on Wednesday (5 February).
Democrats accuse Trump at impeachment trial of corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine
Democrats accused President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial on Wednesday (22 January) of a corrupt scheme to pressure Ukraine to help him get re-elected and warned that America’s global prestige would suffer if the US Senate acquits him.
Ukraine PM Honcharuk given one more chance
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected on Friday evening (17 January) the prime minister's resignation letter and told him to stay on and tackle the unpopular issue of high salaries of some public officials and multimillion-dollar bonuses paid to executives at the state gas company.
Democrats add last-minute evidence to Trump impeachment case before Senate trial
Democrats in the US House of Representatives said on Tuesday (14 January) they would include new evidence when they send formal impeachment charges against President Donald Trump to the Senate on Wednesday, seeking to expand the scope of a trial that will dominate Washington for the next several weeks.
Iranian protesters demand that leaders quit over airline disaster ‘lies’
Protests erupted across Iran for a second day on Sunday (12 January), increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic’s leadership after it admitted its military shot down a Ukrainian airliner by accident, despite days of denials that Iranian forces were to blame.
Russia and Ukraine finalise gas deal just ahead of New Year deadline
Moscow and Kyiv on Monday (30 December) signed a five-year agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine, after months of difficult talks but just ahead of a looming New Year deadline.
Ukraine and Donbas separatists exchange 200 prisoners in controversial swap
Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists in the country's war-torn east exchanged 200 prisoners on Sunday, swapping detained fighters for civilians and servicemen held captive in some cases for years in two breakaway regions.
Trump becomes third US President to be impeached
Donald Trump on Wednesday (18 December) became the third US president to be impeached as the House of Representatives formally charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in a historic step that will inflame partisan tensions across a deeply divided America.
‘Ukraine at its worst’: Is the new president targeting his predecessor?
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has opened a new pre-trial criminal investigation into former President Petro Poroshenko, in an act seen by many as politically motivated and a symbol of Ukrainian politics at its worst.
Normandy summit upholds ‘Steinmeier formula’ for Eastern Ukraine
Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in their first face-to-face meeting, took part in nine hours of talks in Paris on Monday (9 November), brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Don’t cede too much to Putin, Ukrainians tell Zelenskiy ahead of Paris summit
Thousands of people gathered in the center of Kyiv on Sunday (8 December) to send a message to Ukraine’s president, who meets his Russian counterpart on Monday, that Ukrainians will not accept a peace deal at the cost of the country’s independence and sovereignty.
Russia says Ukraine’s proposed gas transit tariffs are too high
Moscow on Wednesday (4 December) said transit tariffs proposed by Ukraine to ship Russian gas through its territory next year were unacceptable and too high, claims swiftly dismissed by Kyiv.
Ukraine: Pro-western opposition sets ‘red lines’ ahead of ‘Normandy’ summit
Three Ukrainian opposition factions have proposed their red lines, including the return of Crimea to Ukraine's full control, ahead of a four-way Normandy summit to be held on in Paris on Monday (9 November).
Zelenskiy offers curtain-raiser ahead of ‘Normandy summit’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with representatives of foreign media ahead of the 9 December summit in Paris, which will return to the effort of finding a solution to the crisis in Eastern Ukraine after a long break.
Unsurprisingly, Russia refuses Dutch request to hand over MH17 suspect
Russia has refused a Dutch request to hand over a suspect in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in violation of European law, prosecutors said on Monday (2 December). Until recently the suspect was in Ukrainian custody, but was sent to Russia in a prisoner swap.
Putin, Zelenskiy discuss natural gas in phone talk
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy have discussed natural gas supplies to Ukraine and gas transit via the country further into Europe, the Kremlin said in a statement on Monday (25 November).
New EPP chief Tusk voices concern over ‘politically motivated prosecutions’ in Ukraine
Politically motivated prosecutions are a matter of concern in Europe, said Donald Tusk, the outgoing EU Council president, as he was elected leader of Europe’s centre-right political family.
Trump’s impeachment case ‘far more serious’ than Nixon’s Watergate
Donald Trump's conduct with Ukraine was far worse than the behavior that led to Richard Nixon's downfall, the head of the congressional impeachment probe said Thursday (21 November) as he summed up the case for the US president's removal.