King Charles and Volodymyr Zelensky in 2023(Image: Getty Images)King Charles is set to welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks on Sunday, it was revealed today.
The meeting, reportedly to take place at the King’s Sandringham estate, will come just two days after Mr Zelensky clashed with US President Donald Trump during a fiery discussion in front of the media at the White House on Friday.
The monarch has previously expressed his support for Mr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people, saying the country had experienced ‘indescribable aggression’ following Russia’s ‘unprovoked attack on their land’. They met at Buckingham Palace in February, 2023, on what was Mr Zelensky’s first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion.
Mr Zelensky landed in the UK on Saturday morning and this afternoon, he was due to be meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street before holding crunch talks with European leaders to discuss a future Ukraine peace deal on Sunday.
It has now emerged that King Charles, 77, will also meet Mr Zelensky, opening the doors of his country retreat to the Ukrainian leader.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian President confirmed: “Tomorrow (Sunday), there will be a series of bilateral meetings, including one with King Charles III and the European leaders’ meeting on supporting Ukraine.”
Mr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the White House(Image: AP)Insiders told The Sun that the King was already planning to meet Mr Zelensky before the Ukrainian leader and the US president clashed in front of the world’s cameras in the Oval Office.
A source told the newspaper: “Zelensky was always due to be in the UK this weekend and so a meeting with the King was pencilled in.”
Another source said that while the monarch and Mr Zelensky have a close friendship, all meetings between world leaders are organised and signed off by the Foreign Office and the Government. Currently, it is not known what King Charles will discuss with the Ukrainian president during their meeting.
A plane branded with Ukraine’s flag arrived at London’s Stansted airport on Saturday morning and was met by a large convoy of vehicles.
Broadcasters carried footage of the plane’s arrival, as it was believed to be carrying Mr Zelensky to the UK before he meets with European leaders at Downing Street on Sunday.
The war of words in the White House was met with a volley of supportive messages from European leaders. Starmer’s response to the clash came somewhat later than that of allies including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Downing Street signalled that Sir Keir, who has tried to position the UK as a bridge between Europe and the US, had sought to smooth over relations between Ukraine and the US by calling both leaders. A No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister “retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine.”