KING Charles is throwing open the doors of his country retreat to welcome Volodymyr Zelensky just days after the Ukrainian hero's White House bust up with Donald Trump.
The King, 76, is set to talk to Zelensky at Sandringham tomorrow amid worrying trans-Atlantic diplomatic tensions caused by Friday's stunning Oval Office row.
It comes only days after Trump accepted an invite from the King for an "unprecedented" second State Visit with the US President hailing Charles as a "wonderful man".
Charles has previously given his wholesale support to President Zelensky saying Ukraine has witnessed "indescribable aggression" following "unprovoked attack on their land".
Zelensky landed in the UK today ahead of a defence summit with European leaders hosted by PM Keir Starmer, at Lancaster House, London, tomorrow.
At Downing Street this evening, Mr Zelensky said: “I’m very happy that His Majesty the King accepted my meeting tomorrow.”
The pair met previously during Mr Zelensky’s surprise visit to the UK in February 2023, when the King told him “we’ve all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long”.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian President said: "Tomorrow (Sunday), there will be a series of bilateral meetings, including one with King Charles III and the European leaders' meeting on supporting Ukraine."
It comes as the Ukrainian president hailed Britain as he shook hands with Starmer outside Downing Street this evening.
The PM told Volodymyr Zelensky’s that Ukraine has Britain’s “full backing”.
He said: “You have full backing across the United Kingdom and we have full backing for Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
A crowd of people gave a cheer outside Downing street.
The Ukrainian president said: “With pleasure, thank you very much Keir, Mr Prime Minister, happy to be here.
“Really, I saw a lot of people, and I want to thank you, people of the United Kingdom, such big support from the very beginning of this war, thank you, your team”.
He said he was “very happy in the UK” and looking forward to a summit with European leaders tomorrow.
“We’re happy and count on your support and really really have [been] such partners,” he added.
Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Zelensky will now hold private talks.
Meanwhile, insiders revealed the royal welcome between King Charles and the Ukrainian leader was being planned before Trump and Zelensky clashed in front of the world's cameras - and insist it is not a reaction to the row.
One said: "Zelensky was always due to be in the UK this weekend and so a meeting with the King was pencilled in."
Other insiders point out that although Charles and Zelensky have a close friendship all meetings between world leaders are organised and signed off by the Foreign Office and the Government.
It is not known what the pair will discuss but it has been a tumultuous and shocking couple of days culminating in Trump and Zelensky's angry exchange in Washington DC on Friday.
Just 24 hours earlier Trump accepted an invite from Charles for an "unprecedented" second State Visit and described the King as a "wonderful man".
Starmer had been hailed for delivering a diplomatic masterclass during his face-off with Trump in the White House on Thursday.
He handed Trump a signed letter from the King inviting him to a State Visit and also to stay at one of his Scottish homes such as Dumfries House or Balmoral.
Charles and Trump have a "warm friendship" and the US President has spoken often of his fondness for the Royal Family and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But the King has been forthright in his support for Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.
Last year on the second anniversary of the invasion, Charles hailed the "determination and strength of the Ukrainian people".
He added: "Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them, Ukrainians continue to show the heroism with which the world associates them so closely. Theirs is true valour, in the face of indescribable aggression."
Charles and Zelensky first met in February 2023 at Buckingham Palace.
Charles and the Ukrainian President also spoke at Blenheim Palace during a world leaders summit for a private meeting last summer.
Sandringham is a 20,000 acre estate in Norfolk, one hundred miles from London, and is the King's personal home after he inherited it from his mother.
He often stays at Sandringham at weekends enjoying walks in the countryside and Sunday morning trips to church, especially since he was diagnosed with cancer.
A spokesman for the King did not want to comment.
Comments
Leave a Comment