• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has only been in office a few months and he’s already at the center of a scandal that’s threatening Donald Trump’s presidency.
  • A phone call between Trump and Zelensky in late July has been tied to a whistleblower complaint from a US intelligence official.
  • Trump in the phone call repeatedly pressured Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a frontrunner in the Democratic presidential race.
  • Before entering politics, Zelensky was a comedian and a TV star.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky is not your average politician, and his ascent to high office was anything but typical.

Zelensky is a former comedian and TV star, who had zero prior political experience when he won a landslide victory in Ukraine’s presidential election in April.

Just a few months into his tenure, Zelensky is at the center of a scandal in the US involving a phone call between him and President Donald Trump that’s led House Democrats to launch a formal impeachment inquiry.

In the call, Trump repeatedly pressured Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in relation to the latter’s ties to a Ukrainian natural gas company.

Trump's call with Zelensky is connected to a whistleblower complaint filed by an intelligence official, but is reportedly only a piece of the puzzle and the complaint pertained to more than a single conversation.

Here's more on Zelensky and how he became embroiled in a scandal threatening Trump's presidency:

Zelensky, 41, rose to fame via comedy and as the star of a popular TV show in Ukraine called "Servant of the People." In the show, Zelensky's character is an idealistic schoolteacher who goes on a viral tirade about government corruption and ends up becoming president.

Foto: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a bilateral meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the Ukraine Reform Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 2, 2019.sourceChris Helgren/Reuters

Zelensky's presidential campaign was in many ways an embodiment of the saying "life imitates art." He ran for president in real life on an anti-corruption platform.

Foto: Zelensky was a TV star before he became president.sourceYouTube

Zelensky, whose nickname is "Ze," won a landslide victory with over 70% of the vote in April.

Foto: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.sourceUkrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Source: BBC

Though Zelensky has pegged himself as a crusader against corruption, he's faced criticism over his relationship with a Ukrainian oligarch named Ihor Kolomoisky, who owned TV station that aired the show that made Zelensky famous.

Foto: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko talks to oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky during a representing ceremony of a new governor of the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region in Dnipropetrovsk on March 26, 2015.sourceMikhail Palinchak/Reuters

Source: The New York Times

Kolomoisky was a rival of Zelensky's predecessor, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and lived in self-imposed exile before returning to Ukraine just three days before Zelensky's inauguration.

Foto: Ukrainian business tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky attends the Yalta European Strategy (YES) annual meeting in Kiev, Ukraine September 13, 2019.sourceValentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

As one of his first big actions as president, Zelensky in May dissolved Ukraine's parliament and called for a snap election. It was viewed as an effort to consolidate power as he portrayed it as a step toward making good on his promise to stamp out corruption.

Foto: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gives a thumbs up during a parliamentary session in Kiev, Ukraine September 3, 2019.sourceMikhail Palinchak/Reuters

Source: The New York Times

Zelensky has expressed interest in having Ukraine apply for NATO membership while also sending mixed signals to Russia. He's pushed for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine while also calling for Western governments to keep hitting Moscow with sanctions.

Foto: Russian President Putin attends a news conference in AnkarasourceReuters

Source: The Wall Street Journal; Forbes

On July 25, Trump and Zelensky spoke on the phone. During the call, Trump repeatedly urged Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who until recently was on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company.

Foto: President Donald Trump is seen through a window speaking on the phone with King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, in the Oval Office of the White House, January 29, 2017 in Washington, DC.sourceMark Wilson/Getty Images

Source: Insider

Amid the scandal that's surrounded the phone call, Zelensky has avoided addressing the subject.

Foto: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a news conference following his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France June 17, 2019.sourceLudovic Marin/Reuters

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25, Zelensky mainly spoke about Russia and did not mention Trump. “Nobody will feel safe while Russia is waging war against Ukraine in the center of Europe,” he said. “The thought that this has nothing to do with you or will never touch your interests will be fatal.”

Foto: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky sits with his delegation at the start of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, on September 24, 2019.sourceBrendan Mcdermid/Reuters

Source: The New York Times

During his first meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the UNGA, Zelensky told reporters he does not want to "be involved" in US elections as he faced questions about the July 25 phone call. He also rejected the notion Trump "pushed" him and described it as a "normal" call.

Foto: U.S. President Trump meets with Ukraine's President Zelenskiy in New York City, New YorksourceReuters
Foto: