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US President Donald Trump called Volodimir Zelensky to congratulate him on his victory in the Ukrainian presidential election. The American envoy for the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Kurt Volker, announced this on Twitter on Monday.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, for his part, wrote on Facebook that he sees "an opportunity" to improve relations with Kiev.
41-year-old comedian Zelensky won no less than 73 percent of the vote in the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine on Sunday. The country has been suffering from armed conflict for five years between the West-backed government in Kiev and the Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country.
In his telephone conversation with Zelensky, Trump praised the peaceful and democratic transfer of power in the country, Volker reported. "We will continue to support Ukraine's efforts to restore its territorial integrity and to combat Russian aggression," the envoy concluded.
In addition to Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron Zelenski has already called to congratulate him. The winner himself reported that on Facebook. Macron recently received the comedian and outgoing president and loser of the Petro Poroshenko ballot box in Paris. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the other hand, only received Poroshenko in Berlin.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European President Donald Tusk sent their congratulations to Zelensky on social media. "The European Union is determined to continue supporting Ukraine," wrote Tusk.
Ukraine is of considerable geo-strategic importance. Poroshenko leaned closer to the west. Especially with American support, the outgoing president had made the army stronger again.
Zelensky's victory makes Russian politicians hope that Ukraine will take a new course under him, which can lead to a thaw in relations with Moscow. Monday Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page that "there is a chance to improve cooperation with our country."
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