Who is Volodymyr Zelensky?
Born in 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelensky studied law and then built a career in comedy, acting and television production at the Kvartal 95 studio. The series Servant of the People, in which he portrayed a fictional president, lent its name to his party. Petro Poroshenko was his opponent in the 2019 presidential runoff, which he won with 73 percent, and his party won a parliamentary majority later in the year. Ukraine has been under martial law, and thus unable to hold elections, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. On 21 October 2026 he supported a US proposal for negotiator-level talks among three parties including Russia, preferably by early November.
Previously: Presidential candidate of Servant of the People (2019) · Co-founder of the Kvartal 95 production studio (2003-2019)
Documented positions
- Ukraine applied for European Union membership at his instigation within days of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.Source: npr.org
- Russia claimed to annex four regions, and in September 2022 he responded by announcing a fast-track NATO application.Source: theguardian.com
- His 10-point peace formula calls for Russian troops to withdraw, borders to be restored and war crimes to be held to account.Source: aljazeera.com
- Conscription rules were tightened and the mobilisation age lowered by a 2024 law that he signed.Source: edition.cnn.com
- Only days after he signed a law curbing them, he signed another in July 2025 that gave back the independence of the anti-corruption bureau and prosecutor.Source: pravda.com.ua
- He signed a 2024 law under which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church tied to the Moscow Patriarchate could be banned.Source: kyivindependent.com
- According to him, a second term is not something he would seek after the war ends, and he would press for elections while a ceasefire holds.Source: kyivindependent.com
- He supported US proposals in October 2026 for talks that include Russia, for ending the war, and for a ceasefire on energy.Source: internazionale.it
Record
Supporters credit Zelensky with the Ukrainian state continuing to function during the invasion, with large inflows of military and financial aid from the West, and with Ukraine's progress toward EU membership. His critics mention the concentration of power in his office, the postponement of elections while martial law applies, and corruption cases touching his circle.
In July 2025 the anti-corruption agencies were curbed by a law that provoked the biggest street protests of the war. He reversed it by signing a new law nine days afterwards.
In their words
“My goal is to finish the war.”