KING Charles “warmly received” Volodymyr Zelensky at Sandringham 48 hours after his bust up with Donald Trump.
The monarch’s meeting with the Ukrainian President comes amid worrying trans-Atlantic diplomatic tensions caused by Friday’s stunning Oval Office row.
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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”.
The Monarch greeted President Zelensky on the steps of Sandringham this evening.
A military helicopter carrying Ukrainian leader had been seen descending over the estate at around 5.25pm.
Their meeting lasted just under an hour.
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 on Saturday ahead of a defence summit with European leaders hosted by PM Keir Starmer, at Lancaster House, London today.
He 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.”
Zelensky was afforded a hero’s welcome in Downing Street yesterday as Sir Keir promised Britain’s “full backing”.
In highly emotional scenes, crowds lined the street and cheered him — while the PM wrapped him in a bear hug as the pair met for crunch talks.
He said: “You have full backing across the United Kingdom and we have full backing for Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
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.
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.
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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.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer “doubled down” on the UK’s support for Ukraine and revealed crucial European plans to help stop the war at a press conference this evening.
Western leaders had spent the afternoon gathered in London for a major meeting hosted by Starmer and Zelensky to help forge together a peace plan.
The Prime Minister announced a £1.6 billion loan to fund 5,000 missiles for Ukraine as he continued to back Ukraine as strongly as he could.
The move has been praised by many as a key way of allowing Ukraine to stay in the fight against Vladimir Putin’s Russia in order to give more time for a peace deal to be agreed.
Defence Secretary John Healey spoke on the deal and said it comes at a critical moment for the future of Ukraine and the security of Europe.
He said: “We all want a secure and lasting peace. As today’s meeting has showed, the UK will continue to lead international efforts to support Ukraine in securing a ceasefire and durable peace.
“And we will not jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the war.
“This new support will help protect Ukraine against drone and missile attacks but it will also help deter further Russian aggression following any end to the fighting.
“This new deal delivers on the UK’s ironclad commitment to step up military support for Ukraine, whilst boosting jobs and growth at home.”
Sir Keir Starmer also added that the purpose of today’s key summit with fellow leaders was to “unite our partners” and help to strengthen Ukraine and to “support a just and enduring peace”.
The Labour leader said the UK, France and others involved with today’s conversations agreed to come up with a European-led plan to find a secure resolution to the conflict.
He said any idea will be talked through with European leaders before being sent to the US for further discussions.
The PM also insisted the UK is prepared to “back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air” but noted this “effort must have strong US backing”.
He went on to say: “We’re working with the US on this point.
“We agree with the President on the urgent need for a durable peace. Now we need to deliver together.”
More than a dozen leaders from key European countries gathered at the summit earlier today – including from France, Germany, Denmark and Finland.
Presidents of the European Council, European Commission, and Nato Secretary General were also in attendance.
They all sat down with hopes of hammering out a peace plan to present to President Donald Trump.
Dominating the talks was also the issue of restoring relations between Ukraine and the US – after Trump’s sensational put down of Zelensky on Friday.
EU leaders flocked to support Zelensky following the showdown, reaffirming their commitment to reaching a “lasting peace”.
The PM has spoken with Donald Trump multiple times over the past couple of days, as he has said he wants to “bridge” the rift between the US and Ukraine.
He revealed this morning he found the Trump-Zelensky feud “uncomfortable to watch”.
But the PM told the Ukrainian leader: “You have the full backing of the United Kingdom.”
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