KYIV, July 10 — Against this backdrop of grinding artillery duels and diplomatic maneuvering, Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains the figure at the centre of it all. The Ukrainian president, in office since May 20, 2019, has spent the last several years transforming from a former comedian into the stoic face of a nation under siege. Born on January 25, 1978, Zelenskyy first entered the public imagination not through politics, but through the screen.
He played the president of Ukraine in the television series Servant of the People before winning the actual office in a 2019 election, capturing 73% of the vote against the incumbent, Petro Poroshenko. It was a narrative so improbable that it seemed scripted — until the full-scale Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, rewrote the story entirely.
In the corridors of power in Kyiv, that decision to remain in the capital as Russian columns approached became the defining moment of his presidency. Zelenskyy did not flee. Instead, he began delivering daily addresses to the nation and the world, a practice that turned him into a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
His approval rating in Ukraine has remained high, above 80% during the war, a remarkable consensus in a country often divided by regional and linguistic lines. What is at stake now extends beyond the battlefield.
Zelenskyy has been unequivocal in his conditions for peace: a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea. He has also pushed persistently for NATO membership for Ukraine, though that goal remains unfulfilled. The wider picture, from a European perspective, is one of a country fighting not just for its own sovereignty, but for the security architecture of the continent.
The material support for this effort has been enormous. Since 2022, the United States alone has provided more than $75 billion in military and humanitarian aid. Zelenskyy has travelled to Washington, London, and other allied capitals to rally that support, most notably in 2023.
Now, a new development on the economic front is being watched closely: proposed US tariffs on Russian oil are seen as a potential boost to Ukraine’s war effort, a way to starve the Kremlin of the revenue that fuels its campaign. Zelenskyy was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2022, a recognition of his role in rallying the free world.
He is married to Olena Zelenska, and they have two children. The question that hangs over this moment is whether the political will in Western capitals can match the endurance of the Ukrainian people. For now, Zelenskyy continues to press his case, one address at a time.
