…After getting kicked out of White House by Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with King Charles following an emergency summit with European leaders in London, where he was urged to repair his relationship with President Trump.
The Ukrainian leader, wearing all black, was pictured shaking hands with a beaming king outside of his Sandringham country estate after traveling from the British capital by helicopter.
Zelensky was “warmly received” by the king, although the exact details of what the pair discussed were not revealed, as per royal policy on such meetings, a Buckingham Palace official said.
The meeting came just 48 hours after his disastrous White House meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, in which he was scolded by the American leaders for not being grateful enough for the support for Ukraine and for not agreeing to Trump’s terms to begin peace negotiations with Russia.
King Charles III and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Saloon at Sandringham House on March 2, 2025. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Locals had gathered outside the state in the Norfolk countryside to try and catch a glimpse of President Zelensky, with some waving blue and yellow Ukrainian flags.
Charles has previously spoken out in support of Zelensky and Ukraine, saying the country had suffered “indescribable aggression,” following what he called Russia’s “unprovoked attack on their land.”
Ukraine’s people have shown “truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy,” the king said last year.
Zelensky has looked to bolster his relationship with his European allies two days after his planned talks with President Trump ended in a furious shouting match.
For the most part, he received a hero’s reception, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer telling other world leaders the success of Ukraine was “vital to the security of every nation here and many others too.”
Zelensky attends a meeting with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in London. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images
However, Italian PM Giorgio Meloni — who has courted close ties with Trump — was among those calling on Zelensky to mend fences with the US or risk a “West divided” over the Ukraine war with Russia, now into its fourth year.
“It’s very, very important that we avoid the risk that the West divides over Ukraine,” said Meloni, per a translation.
Meloni, the sole European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration, spoke with Trump on the phone ahead of the London security summit and publicly called for an emergency meeting with the US to smooth things over.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attend a meeting with fellow leaders during a summit on Ukraine at Lancaster House in London, Britain, March 2, 2025. via REUTERS
“It is important to maintain unity around Ukraine and strengthen our country’s position in cooperation with our allies – the countries of Europe and the United States,” Zelensky said following his meeting with Meloni.
“Ukraine needs peace backed by robust security guarantees.”
Following Sunday’s summit, a proposal for a one-month truce between Ukraine and Russia put together by Britain and France was announced.
The ceasefire would not cover ground fighting at first, but would see an end to combat “in the air, at sea,” France’s President Emmanuel Macron told the French newspaper, Le Figaro.
But with such a vast front line, the potential ceasefire would be incredibly difficult to enforce, he admitted.
Macron also ruled out any immediate deployment of soldiers from the Western European powers to the frontline.
“There won’t be European troops on Ukrainian soil in the coming weeks,” Macron said.
Zelensky’s meeting with the king comes ahead of Trump’s planned second state visit to the UK, which was offered by British PM Starmer who handed the president an official letter during his meeting with him earlier this week.
US presidents aren’t traditionally offered a state visit during their second term, but Starmer said the move was coming after the “tremendous success” of Trump’s first visit in 2019.
