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The whistleblower complaint related to President Trump's discussions with a foreign leader filed by a member of the U.S. intelligence community involves Ukraine, according to The Washington Post. Two sources familiar with the situation told the Post that the conversation that sparked a whistleblower complaint about an "alarming" promise made by Trump during a recent discussion with a foreign leader involved Ukraine. It wasn't reportedly clear whether Trump's conversation that sparked the complaint was specifically with Ukraine's president, but the Post reports that Trump did have a discussion with the newly-elected Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, just weeks before it was...

BRUSSELS -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised to hold a referendum on NATO membership -- a move strongly opposed by Moscow -- as the country embarks on a path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The recently elected Zelenskiy said Ukraine and its people had the right as a sovereign nation to choose the alliances they desire, regardless of outside opinions. Fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has killed some 13,000 people since April 2014, shortly after Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has called Ukraine a "highly valued partner." But...

On May 20th, Zelenskiy was sworn in as [Ukraine's] head of state. His political background and campaign were highly unorthodox...On the day Moscow was rocked by yet another censorship scandal, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s inspiring inaugural speech gave Russians plenty of food for thought. It must have been an affront for Putin to hear the president of the neighboring country quote a former president of our main geopolitical enemy: “The government does not solve our problems, the government is our problem!” What's more, it must be quite strange to hear Zelenskiy announce that “the president is not an icon or an idol,”...

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said in an interview Thursday that he plans to travel to Ukraine to push the country's leadership on several probes that may prove "very, very helpful" to President Trump, as Republicans continue looking to turn the tables on Democrats and prove that they -- not the GOP -- were the party that improperly conspired with foreign actors. Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky, who takes office in June, will assume stewardship of two major ongoing investigations. One concerns evidence that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillary Clinton campaign may have worked with Ukrainians to illegally help Clinton by revealing...

Less than a week after he won Ukraine’s presidential election, 41-year-old comedian Volodymyr Zelensky proved he has the chops to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the world stage. Putin signed a decree on April 24 that expedited Russian passport applications for Ukrainians living in the two war-torn, Russian-sponsored breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine. Then, on April 27, Putin upped the ante, floating the possible extension of the passport offer to all Ukrainians. With the ball in his court, Zelensky—a TV star with no political experience—responded to the Russian president with a zinger. “We are perfectly aware of...

A comedian whose only political experience consists of playing a president on TV appeared poised to reprise the role in real life when an exit poll showed him winning Ukraine's presidential runoff Sunday in a landslide. Results from the exit poll after voting stations closed showed Volodymyr Zelenskiy receiving an extraordinary 73.2 per cent — or nearly three out of every four votes cast — to President Petro Poroshenko's 25.3 per cent.

Kiev (AFP) - A comedian with no political experience won a landslide victory in Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday, drawing congratulations from global leaders while dealing a stunning rebuke to his country's political establishment. Volodymyr Zelensky, whose only previous political role was playing the president in a TV show, trounced incumbent Petro Poroshenko by taking 73 percent of the vote, according to partial official results. Poroshenko garnered just 24 percent, losing to the 41-year-old comedian and actor across the country, with 42 percent of ballots counted.

Many commentators have suggested that the greatest threat to the authoritarian regime in Russia would be a Ukraine that successfully navigated the difficult passage to economic development and political freedom, but apparently even Ukraine’s moves in that direction are a problem for the Kremlin. That is because, as the SerpomPo telegram channel put it, the chief reaction of Russians to the debates between the two Ukrainian presidential candidates is envy, envy that each of those who watched as many Russians did could decide for himself or herself who won and how they would if they could vote, something not possible...

Political newcomer and television comedian Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday declared victory in Ukraine's presidential elections after exit polls showed he was on track for a landslide win against incumbent and chocolate magnate Petro Poroshenko. "We did it together. Thanks to everyone! Now there will be no pathetic speeches, I just want to say -- thank you," Zelensky said amongst loud cheers from a crowd of supporters. Projections put Zelensky at 73.2%, giving him a significant lead over Poroshenko, who has won just 25.3%, according to an exit poll published by Ukinform. Shortly after the exit poll, Poroshenko conceded defeat. Zelensky's...

KIEV — It’s said that reality is often stranger than fiction. In Ukraine, a popular comedian is taking both by storm. The 41-year old Volodymyr Zelensky is better known for playing a president in the wildly popular TV show “Servant of the People,” which sees an earnest history teacher unexpectedly thrust into the backstabbing world of Ukrainian politics. Now Zelensky could have a shot at the real deal as Ukrainians vote in the final round of the presidential election Sunday. The comedian surprised everybody with the scale of his victory in the first round on March 31. His anti-establishment message...

KYIV - The choice is stark. Stay the slow and not-quite-steady course with a deeply unpopular but seasoned leader who knows the ropes and has taken Ukraine westward despite foot-dragging on reforms and a failure to tackle entrenched corruption. Go with another veteran, a political survivor with a dodgy past twice imprisoned by opponents who has lost two presidential elections but is banking on public disappointment and populist promises to carry her to victory. Or take a chance on a comedian with no experience in politics and governing but who has managed to tap into an antiestablishment mood similar to...