Zelensky takes office as Ukraine's new president
Updated 19:52, 20-May-2019
CGTN
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Ukrainian actor-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday took office as the sixth president of Ukraine.
The official inauguration ceremony took place in the Ukrainian parliament, local media reported.
The 41-year-old comedian said his first task is to end the conflict with Moscow-backed separatists in the country's east, but added that dialogue with Russia could only happen after the return of Ukrainian territory and prisoners of war.
Volodymyr Zelensky speaks as he takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony in the parliament hall in Kiev, Ukraine, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

Volodymyr Zelensky speaks as he takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony in the parliament hall in Kiev, Ukraine, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

"Our first task is a ceasefire in the Donbass," the newly inaugurated president said during a ceremony in the parliament hall in Kiev, referring to the country's eastern region.
In response to the inauguration, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelensky and would not be congratulating him on taking up the post. 
The Russian president will instead "congratulate him on the first successes" in regulating the conflict, he said, calling it a "domestic problem" for Ukraine. 
Moscow has been accused of militarily supporting the separatists, and Putin this month ordered an easing of procedures for Ukrainians living in the eastern separatist regions to gain Russian citizenship, a challenge to the new Ukrainian leader.  
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his state-of-the-nation address in Moscow, Russia, February 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his state-of-the-nation address in Moscow, Russia, February 20, 2019. /VCG Photo

In a sign of possible tensions between Kiev and Washington, Ukraine's key ally against Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani this month canceled a visit to Kiev, saying Zelensky is "surrounded by people who are enemies of the (U.S.) president." 
Zelensky also announced the same day that he was dissolving parliament and called a snap election, aiming to win seats in a legislature still dominated by loyalists of his predecessor.
With no prior political experience, Zelensky won the presidency by a landslide last month, but his new party has no representation in parliament, making it expedient for him to call a snap poll while his popularity remains high.
Volodymyr Zelensky takes a selfie with his supporters as he walks to take the oath of office ahead of his inauguration ceremony in the parliament hall, in Kiev, Ukraine, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo  

Volodymyr Zelensky takes a selfie with his supporters as he walks to take the oath of office ahead of his inauguration ceremony in the parliament hall, in Kiev, Ukraine, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo  

The new president called on lawmakers to use the two months until the snap election to pass one bill that would strip them of immunity from prosecution and another that bans officials from illegally enriching themselves.
"You will have two months for this. Do it, and you will deserve medals," Zelensky said after being sworn in. "I dissolve the Rada (parliament) of the eighth convocation."
(Cover: Volodymyr Zelensky takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony in the parliament hall in Kiev, Ukraine, May 20, 2019. /VCG Photo)
(With input from AFP, Reuters, Xinhua)