Zelenskyy donned an all-black outfit while meeting the king. He was seen shaking hands with Charles outside of his Sandringham country estate after traveling from the British capital by helicopter. Zelenskyy was reportedly “warmly received” by the king, but the details of their conversation have not been revealed, as per royal policy, according to a Buckingham Palace source.

Zelenskyy’s meeting with Charles also came at a time when there is increasing pressure on UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to withdraw his royal visit invitation to Trump. Zelenskyy travelled to the UK just 48 hours after his disastrous White House meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The Ukrainian leader was reportedly welcomed with a warm embrace from Starmer, who previously told BBC that he was “uncomfortable” watching the White House interactions.

King Charles previously spoke out in support of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine

King Charles received Zelenskyy at Sandringham, and some local residents were seen gathering outside the estate with Ukrainian flags in their hands. Zelenskyy previously met the king in February 2023 in the UK, making it the very first time a British monarch had met with a Ukrainian head of state. “We’ve all been worried about you and thinking about your country,” the king said at the time.

Previously, Charles has spoken out in support of Zelenskyy and Ukraine. The king said in the past that Ukraine had suffered “indescribable aggression” following Russia’s “unprovoked attack on their land.” Charles said last year that the people of Ukraine have shown “truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy.”

Keir Starmer dismisses calls to cancel royal invitation to Donald Trump

Meanwhile,Starmer has dismissed calls to cancel a royal invitation from Charles to Trump for a UK state visit. On Sunday, March 2, Scottish first minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician John Swinney told BBC that it was “an absolutely fundamental requirement of any offer of a state visit” extended to Trump that the US president would be “absolutely full-square with us in protecting Ukraine and insuring its independence.” “Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity must be defended,” Swinney said in another media post. “If President Trump won’t stand with us on this, a U.K. state visit shouldn’t be on the table.”

Starmer, however, said, according to Newsweek, “I’m not going to be diverted by the SNP or others trying to ramp up the rhetoric.”

Stephen Flynn, the leader of the SNP’s presence in Westminster, also said in a social media post that “Starmer had better get back up off his knees and revoke that offer of a state visit.”

Starmer, on the other hand, asserted to BBC that he is “interested in what are the practical steps, what are the bridge building that I can do, what are the relationships that I can mend and take forward to take us to lasting peace in Europe.”