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, 77, is set to talk to Zelensky at Sandringham tomorrow amid worrying trans-Atlantic diplomatic tensions caused by Friday’s stunning Oval Office row.
AFPIt follows a bust-up between Zelensky and Trump yesterday[/caption]
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 Zelenskyy saying Ukraine has witnessed “indescribable aggression” following “unprovoked attack on their land”.
Zelenskyy landed in the UK yesterday ahead of a defence summit with European leaders hosted by PM Keir Starmer, at Lancaster House, London, tomorrow.
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.”
Insiders reveal the royal welcome was being planned before Trump and Zelenskyy clashed in front of the world’s cameras and insist it is not a reaction to the row.
One said: “Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy’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 Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy 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.
GettyKing Charles is set to meet with President Zelensky[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
