King Charles III, 74, has surprised everyone with the meeting he held with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, 45.
The historic meeting took place at Buckingham Palace. This is the first meeting between the king and the Ukrainian president. His wife, Olena Zelenska, represented him at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.
The Ukrainian president’s visit to London is Zelensky’s second trip abroad since Russia invaded his country almost a year ago.
King Charles and Volodymyr Zelensky
The visit was a surprise and comes after Zelensky presented a flag signed by soldiers defending Bakhmut, a town on the front line in eastern Ukraine, to the U.S. Congress in December.
Footage from the meeting shows Charles and the president shaking hands and smiling warmly. The official accounts of the Royal Family on social networks have published the photograph with the following message:
“The King welcomes President Volodymyr Zelensky to Buckingham Palace”.
The two men spoke privately for about 30 minutes in Room 1844 about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the role Britain has played in supporting the nation.
Prior to his meeting with the British monarch, the Ukrainian president spoke in the House of Parliament and met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The president of Ukraine is in the UK to thank the country for its support since Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and to see some of his country’s troops, who are being trained by pilots and learning how to operate British tanks.
🇬🇧🇺🇦The King welcomes President @ZelenskyyUa to Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/cdcBUFkZIL
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 8, 2023