Starmer and Zelensky to meet at Downing Street
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in Downing Street on Saturday afternoon, No 10 has said.
Zelensky arrived at Stansted Airport at approximately 11:20 GMT, after his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Friday descended into a row between the two leaders over US support for Ukraine.
In a statement posted on X, Zelensky said of Trump: “Despite the tough dialogue, we remain strategic partners. But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals.”
His arrival in the UK comes a day before Sir Keir hosts a summit of European leaders to discuss an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
What was meant to be a prelude to the two leaders signing a minerals deal devolved into an unprecedented public clash in the Oval Office and saw Trump accuse Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three”.
US Vice President JD Vance was also in the room and chimed in, asking whether the Ukrainian president had thanked the US for its help.
While Zelensky has thanked the US in the past, he did so again in a string of X messages as he arrived in the UK. In one, he said that Ukraine was “very grateful” to the US for its support over the past three years.
“America’s help has been vital in helping us survive, and I want to acknowledge that,” he said.
“It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support. He wants to end the war, but no-one wants peace more than we do. We are the ones living this war in Ukraine. It’s a fight for our freedom, for our very survival.”
