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Vladimir Zelensky sworn in as President of Ukraine

The new president pledged to defend the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine

© AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

KIEV, May 20. / TASS /.Vladimir Zelensky took the oath as President of Ukraine at the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) meeting on Monday.

"I do solemnly swear to defend the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine with all my deeds, to provide for the good of the Fatherland and the welfare of the Ukrainian people, to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, to abide by the Constitution of Ukraine and the laws of Ukraine, to fulfill my duties in the interests of all compatriots, and to enhance the prestige of Ukraine in the world," the new President said, as he placed his hand on the New Testament, and elbow on the Constitution of Ukraine.

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The ceremony began with the performance of the national anthem, after which the head of the Central Electoral Commission Tatyana Slipachuk, announced the results of the presidential election, at which Zelensky won.

After swearing in, Slipachuk, presented Zelensky with the identification of the President of Ukraine, and the head of the Constitutional Court, Natalya Shaptala, presented him with the symbols of power - a mace, a badge of the President of Ukraine and the official seal.

Zelensky arrived at the ceremony on foot, from the nearby Mariinsky Park, where he greeted his supporters before the ceremony. His appearance in the park was greeted by cheers and applause, the crowd chanted "Zelensky", and "Victory will be ours."

From there he went to the Rada, where deputies, members of the government, and four former Ukrainian presidents awaited him.

About 60 foreign representatives also arrived at the ceremony. In particular, Andriy Parubiy, the Chairperson of the Rada, presented the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, the vice-president of Turkey, the prime minister of Moldova, the head of the Azerbaijani parliament, the vice-premiers of Belarus, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, the US delegation led by Energy Minister Rick Perry and Kurt Volker, US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine, and several others.

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"An automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch," Dmitry Peskov said

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Russia uses aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian positions near DPR’s Konstantinovka — source

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US not seeking confrontation with Russia, but will continue assistance to Kiev — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also claimed that Washington, while helping Ukraine, is not attempting to turn the conflict into a large-scale regional confrontation that spills beyond the country’s borders

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"Democratic institutions in the country have been destroyed, rendering dialogue between the government and the people impossible," Viktor Medvedchuk said

Zelensky begs ‘for his country to be flattened’ — US journalist

"Ukraine should be forever grateful that President Putin is calm, rational and kind - because Zelensky is practically begging for his country to be flattened," American political commentator Jackson Hinkle said

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Ukraine was warned about possible missile strike — Pentagon

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The Department of State and other US agencies "should continue to engage our competitors in real and substantive dialogue," Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan said

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China urges restraint after Russia, Ukraine's exchange of attacks — foreign ministry

Lin Jian also reaffirmed Beijing's position on the Ukrainian issue

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Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

Earlier, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a precision strike on Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in retaliation for the use of US-and UK-made weapons for strikes on Russia

Oreshnik can reach targets across entire Europe — missile troops commander

"Based on the tasks and the range of this weapon, it can hit targets across entire Europe, which sets it apart from other high-precision long-range weapons," Sergey Karakayev said

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Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson confirmed to TASS that the launch of ATACMS missiles would be impossible without "US/NATO satellite feeds and/or personnel"

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"Our friends are living in the Arab world," the politician noted

Biden’s decision to use ATACMS against Russia may 'blow up in America’s face' — US expert

According to Daniel Davis authorizing US long-range weapons to be used against Russia is "foolhardy to the highest order," "especially because there is no military upside for doing so"

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Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

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Ukrainian frontline may 'collapse' under onslaught of Russian forces — BBC

According to the experts, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region turned out to be a "strategic catastrophe" amid "manpower shortages"

Lukashenko grants asylum to Schmidt persecuted on political grounds by Poland

The head of state also approved citizenship applications from foreign nationals and stateless persons residing in the country

Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

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Ukrainian defense line in Donbass may soon collapse — expert

"Those are very important logistical hubs and defence outposts for the Ukrainian armed forces, and losing them will give Russia the advantage to move forward to cities like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk," Marina Miron emphasized

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Russia will continue developing pipe gas supplies and will "continue supplying competitive energy resources to partners and the whole world," Pavel Sorokin noted

Decision on strikes inside Russia seals US puppet Zelensky’s fate — commentator

The New York Times reported earlier, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

North Korean leader warns of growing risk of nuclear war — KCNA

Kim Jong Un added that negotiations with the US only confirmed the North Korean view that Washington’s hostile policy remains unchanged

Eliminating best enemy units: Defense Minister visits special op area

Andrey Belousov stressed that Russian troops have accelerated their advance in the special military operation zone and have effectively disrupted Kiev's 2025 military campaign

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The Russian Defense Ministry announced earlier in the day that the country’s latest Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile hit all the targets at a major Ukrainian military-industrial enterprise in Dnepr (Dnepropetrovsk) with its MIRVed warheads

Russian air defense deflects attacks with Western missiles — Putin

"As a result, the goals that the enemy apparently set have not been achieved," the Russian leader said

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Oreshnik missile to go into serial production, Putin says

The president stressed that given the weapon’s special power, it "will be provided precisely to the Strategic Missile Forces"

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The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

Russia entitled to use weapons against military sites of states attacking it — Duma

"Russia has repeatedly stated that such actions will receive a response – and it will be a stronger one," Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stressed

Ex-German chancellor never expected Russia to tolerate Ukraine’s NATO membership — memoir

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

According to the French military source, Russia's recent use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile should be taken in the context of possible negotiations regarding the ongoing Ukrainian conflict

Russian strategic missile forces to be equipped with advanced weapon by 95%

"A large-scale investment program for expanding production capacities at defense sector organizations is being implemented", Vasily Tonkoshkurov said

Russia’s Oreshnik has no analogues worldwide — Putin

"We know what kind of developments are being carried out there, but this will happen tomorrow or in a year or two, but we have such a system already today," the president said

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The overall death toll from Israeli bombardments and artillery attacks since the outbreak of the current escalation in October 2023 has reached 3,642, with 15,356 people being wounded

Russia’s reaction to Austrian OMV’s failure to pay for gas justified — MFA

The company stated it would seek damages amounting to 230 million euro for failing to receive the contracted volume of gas from the Russian company for delivery to Germany

Signal to West and 'red card': experts weigh in on Putin’s missile launch statements

The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

US journalist calls US President Joe Biden’s government 'the fascist state'

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US decision to allow missile strikes deep into Russia fuels global escalation — Slovak PM

Robert Fico also rejected the belief that this escalation would not impact "those living far away, in Spain, England, or America"

West beginning to realize only part of Ukraine will remain — Lavrov

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The former Austrian foreign minister stressed that she "counted on rational Western decision-makers, but irrationality is unfortunately on the rise among them"

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

Any escalation scenario possible in Ukraine conflict — Medvedev

According to the politician, Western nations need to understand that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side

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US officials believe that ramping up weapons supplies to Ukraine is unlikely to change the situation in the combat zone short term, but it may help Kiev strengthen its stance in case a truce is reached

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Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia

German politician slams Ukraine’s ‘irresponsible’ strike on Russia with UK-made missiles

"A diplomatic search for balance and mutual understanding should be the goal, instead of further escalation," Alice Weidel said

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"The enemy positioned in the fortified area in Velikaya Novoselka in the south of the DPR is already trapped in a kill zone," the source said

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Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, the West is directly involved in the use of long-range weapons against Russia, as not a single missile could be launched without its involvement

US, West have no capabilities to intercept new Russian hypersonic missile — expert

"There is more in the Russian arsenal than many believe," said Karin Kneissl, the former Foreign Minister of Austria