– Days after Monarch invited US president for second state visit
Glen Owen
Mar 9, 2025
Donald Trump has ‘gone cool’ on Britain since King Charles welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to Sandringham, diplomatic sources in Washington have claimed.
Allies of the US President have made clear to UK officials in America that pictures of the King with the Ukranian leader made him feel ‘less special’ about the monarch’s invitation for a state visit to Britain
In response, the Trump allies were told that it would have been inappropriate for the Government to ‘direct’ the King not to meet Mr Zelensky.
The King met Mr Zelensky last Sunday, just days after Sir Keir Starmer had presented Mr Trump with an invitation from Charles to fly to London for an official visit.
The overt show of solidarity came in the immediate aftermath of the row in the Oval Office between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump, in which the US President ganged up with Vice-President JD Vance to berate him for his supposed lack of respect and gratitude for American help.
Then, on Monday, Charles also welcomed Canada‘s prime minister Justin Trudeau to Sandringham – at a time when Mr Trudeau is reeling from Mr Trump’s announcement of 25 per cent tariffs on imports from his country.
Last night, No 10 said that it ‘did not recognise’ the claims that Mr Trump was sulking over the meetings, but a well-placed source said: ‘Things definitely went a bit cool in Washington after Sandringham. We told them that the King makes his own decisions about who he meets’.
Mr Zelensky flew to Charles’ Norfolk home in a military helicopter after attending a defence summit with European leaders hosted by the Prime Minister.
Whitehall sources were at pains to stress that the royal meeting was not a reaction to the Oval Office bust-up, insisting that it had been in the works for a while.
The pair had met previously during Mr Zelensky’s 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’.
No 10 sources denied that Sandringham had caused tensions, saying that the Prime Minister had spoken to Mr Trump on Monday – the US President likes to call him directly on his mobile – and there had been ‘positive engagement’ between the two leaders.
President Trump had hailed Charles as a ‘wonderful man’ when Sir Keir handed him the official invitation in the White House.
Sir Keir’s handling of the Ukraine crisis was yesterday praised by former Tory defence secretary Ben Wallace, who said: ‘I’ve seen good leadership from both Keir Starmer and [French] president Macron on this and they should both be congratulated.’
Sir Ben said that Mr Trump’s decision to suspend US intelligence sharing with Kyiv was ‘suffocating’ Ukrainian hope of holding out against Russian aggression, and the Prime Minister should be ‘working out what the Americans have switched off, and finding European sources, or even further afield, to replace it‘.
He added: ‘Hope is the most important thing in this type of conflict and, at the moment, Donald Trump is suffocating the hope that Putin can be either fought to a standstill or indeed brought to the table.
‘Hope is always the key for both morale and a military campaign. When this started three years ago, I remember gathering the military officials in my then department, and saying on day one, we have to give the Ukrainians hope. If a Russian truck has a puncture, we need to let people know. If the Russians have a small defeat, we need to let the Ukrainian people know.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘We do not recognise these reports. We have been unequivocal about the importance of the US as an ally of the UK.
‘No two countries are as closely aligned as ours on economic, defence, security and intelligence interests, and we share deep historic and cultural ties
‘We will continue to work hand-in-hand and look forward to welcoming President Trump.’
Yesterday Russia pounded Ukraine with another drone blitz. The attacks left 25 dead and, said Kyiv, demonstrated that the Kremlin’s war goals are unchanged despite pressure from the US to resolve the conflict.
In the worst aerial assault 11 people died and 40 were wounded in Dobropillia in eastern Donetsk
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said this is ‘what happens when someone appeases barbarians’, adding that it results in ‘more bombs, more aggression’.
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Trump says he trusts ‘generous’ Putin and slams ‘difficult’ Zelensky
President Donald Trump revealed in the Oval Office Friday which leader – Russia ‘s Vladimir Putin or Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky – has been easier to deal with, while issuing a stark new World War III warning. A reporter pointed out to Trump that Putin was bombing Ukraine and asked the president if he believed the Russian leader still wanted peace. ‘I believe him, I believe him,’ Trump answered. ‘I think we’re doing really well with Russia.’
View galleryThe president noted that Russia was ‘bombing the hell out of Ukraine.’ ‘I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine,’ Trump said. The comments come a week after Trump and Zelensky’s blow-up in the Oval Office, which prompted the U.S. to pause intelligence sharing and weapons deliveries to Ukraine, a longtime ally.
View galleryThe president noted that Russia was ‘bombing the hell out of Ukraine.’ ‘I’m finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine,’ Trump said. The comments come a week after Trump and Zelensky’s blow-up in the Oval Office, which prompted the U.S. to pause intelligence sharing and weapons deliveries to Ukraine, a longtime ally.
‘To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,’ the president added. During his Oval Office Q&A, the president reverted to saying the onus was on Ukraine, because the country doesn’t ‘have the cards.’ ‘As you know we’re meeting in Saudi Arabia sometime next week. And we find that in terms with getting a final settlement it may be easier dealing with Russia, which is surprising because they have all the cards,’ Trump continued. ‘And they are bombing the hell out of them right now.’ ‘We’re trying to help them,’ the president said. ‘And Ukraine has to get on the ball and get a deal done.
When asked if Putin and the Russians were taking advantage of the U.S.’s weapons and intelligence pause to pummel Ukraine, Trump pushed that Putin’s actions were understandable. I actually think he’s doing what anybody in that position would be doing that right now,” Trump said. ‘ I’ve always had a good relationship with Putin. And you know, he wants to end the war. “I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be, and that’s pretty good. That means a lot of good things.
When asked if Putin and the Russians were taking advantage of the U.S.’s weapons and intelligence pause to pummel Ukraine, Trump pushed that Putin’s actions were understandable. I actually think he’s doing what anybody in that position would be doing that right now,” Trump said. ‘ I’ve always had a good relationship with Putin. And you know, he wants to end the war. “I think he’s going to be more generous than he has to be, and that’s pretty good. That means a lot of good things.
‘He wants to get it ended and I think Ukraine wants to get it ended but I don’t see – it’s crazy – they’re taking tremendous punishment, I don’t quite get it,’ Trump continued. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz also addressed reporters, calling the current state of the war a ‘meat grinder.’ ‘This is a meat grinder of people, of material, of national treasure and no one has any solutions but to let this war continue forever,’ Waltz said.
A reporter pointed to Trump’s earlier Truth post, saying that Ukraine was being pounded, and asked why he wasn’t supplying air defense to stop the assault. ‘I have to know that they want to settle,’ Trump replied. ‘I don’t know that they want to settle. If they don’t want to settle, we’re out of there because we want them to settle.’ ‘This thing could end up in a World War III if we don’t get it settled,’ Trump added. ‘This could really end up in a World War III.’
DM:
“Nigel Farage’s poll rating tumbles after Reform leader blamed Zelensky for ‘showing no respect’ during Oval Office bust up with Donald Trump.”
Nigel Farage’s support for Donald Trump over the Ukraine crisis has slammed the brakes on the ‘detoxification’ of the Reform leader which has been under way since the election.
“Before the row between Mr Trump and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, polling data ranked Mr Farage as the most popular party leader.”
After those surveyed were asked if they liked or disliked each leader, Mr Farage achieved an average score of -30 in the YouGov poll, compared with -40 for Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer and -36 for the Tories’ Kemi Badenoch.
But following Mr Farage’s remarks about the White House row between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, in which he blamed the Ukrainian for playing the meeting ‘very badly’ and ‘bowling in and showing no respect’ for the US President, the Reform chief is now the least popular leader, with -39.
Sir Keir is up to -28 after his support for Mr Zelensky, while Ms Badenoch is on -30.
Until his criticism, Mr Farage had been moving quickly from the margins to the mainstream, increasingly seen as the leader of a respectable organisation rather than a ‘protest vote party’
Pollsters say the perception that Mr Farage is too close to Mr Trump and too sympathetic to president Putin is Reform’s ‘weak flank’ which can be attacked by Labour and the Tories.
His feud with Reform MP Rupert Lowe is likely to halt his advance in the polls even further.
When Mr Farage was asked in 2014 which world leader he most admired, he said: ‘As an operator, but not as a human being, I would say Putin. The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically.’
Mr Trump sparked global outrage during the Oval Office meeting by accusing Mr Zelensky of ‘gambling with World War Three’ and saying that he had not expressed enough thanks for US aid in defending his country against Putin’s invasion.
Mr Farage, a vocal cheerleader for the US President, accused Zelensky of ‘overplaying his hand’ and sparking the astonishing televised spat with Mr Trump and Vice-President JD Vance during an interview with LBC last week.
He said Ukraine was a ‘corrupt country’ and had to accept it was not getting territory such as the Crimea back.
He added: ‘If I turned up at the White House I would make sure I was wearing a suit and my shoes were clean.’
After it was pointed out that the Ukrainian president was following in the footsteps of leaders such as Sir Winston Churchill in visiting in battle fatigues, he added: ‘If Zelensky wants to bowl in and show no respect to a man who we all know is incredible old fashioned about this stuff… if you are going in with a positive mindset maybe Zelensky should have thought about that.’
‘Zelensky was very unwise to tell the Americans what would happen to them if they didn’t back him,’ he added.
‘It was unwise, yes sure Vance and Trump bit back, but I think in diplomatic terms Zelensky played it very badly. I wouldn’t expect a guest to be rude to me in my own house, absolutely not. I would expect a guest to treat me with respect.’
………..
Farage’s brief diversion to semi-decency has ended, as he has gone back to full-on trumputlerism.
As for Trumpkov, he is once again a mass-murderer by proxy.
Groveling to a squalid nazi genocide gang is unique in US history.
And if the sneering bastard is unable to continue his violent proxy assault on Ukraine due to death or ill-health, we get VanZkov; an alleged human being who is even more despicable than Trumpkov.
From Liz Cheney/Adam Kinziger against Trump :
“Senator Jeff Merkley walked into the hearing room like a man who’d just been told his car got keyed and knew exactly who did it. On the other side of the table sat Christopher Landau, Trump’s nominee for Ambassador to Mexico, who looked like he hadn’t slept since Inauguration Day, and Matthew Whitaker, a former acting Attorney General who carries himself like a guy who still brags about his high school bench press record.
The setup was simple: Merkley had questions, and Landau and Whitaker had excuses — weak, sweaty excuses that couldn’t outrun a three-legged dog.
It didn’t take long for the whole thing to unravel. Merkley started calmly, like a guy setting mousetraps in a room full of blindfolded rats. Then the hammer dropped.
Senator Jeff Merkley: “I wanted to, uh… uh… ask you, Mr. Landau — is President Trump a Russian asset?”
That’s how Merkley started — no warmup, no warning. Just kicked the door open and asked the question nobody else had the nerve to say out loud.
Mr. Landau: “Absolutely not, Senator. He’s the President of the United States, duly elected by the American people.”
Landau might as well have answered, “Please don’t ask me anything else.” Merkley wasn’t about to let him off that easy.
Senator Merkley: “Well, the reason I ask is many people back home have been asking me this question. And they say, ‘If he was an asset, we would see exactly what he’s doing now.'”
It’s the kind of thing that sounds conspiratorial until you start listing the evidence. And that’s exactly what Merkley did.
Senator Merkley: “For example… he proceeded to forward — or express from the Oval Office — propaganda that has been Russian propaganda… that Ukraine started the war… that, uh… Zelensky is a dictator.”
Step one: repeat Kremlin talking points like they’re gospel.
Senator Merkley: “Second of all… he gave away key things on the negotiating table before the negotiations even started, ensuring the U.S. would absolutely oppose, um… any possibility of NATO membership for Ukraine.”
That’s like showing up to a poker game and tossing your entire stack of chips across the table before the first card’s dealt.
Senator Merkley: “Uh… third… he’s cut off the arms shipments to Ukraine completely — undermining their ability against a massive neighbor next door with short supply lines and… and huge resources.”
Pause here and picture Vladimir Putin popping champagne.
Senator Merkley: “Fourth… he’s undermined the partnership with Europe, which has been essential to security over the last 80 years — a major goal of Putin’s.”
At this point, Merkley wasn’t describing bad policy — he was reading Putin’s wish list.
Senator Merkley: “And then… he’s done everything to discredit and demean Zelensky on the international stage — notably with that shameful press conference in which he teamed up with the Vice President to attack Zelensky.”
Ah yes, that infamous JD Vance press conference — the diplomatic equivalent of shoving Zelensky’s head in a toilet while Putin watched from the corner clapping like a seal.
Senator Merkley: “I can’t imagine that if he was a Russian asset, he could be doing anything more favorable than these five points.”
Boom. Merkley didn’t need to say “traitor” — he just pointed at the scoreboard.
Senator Merkley: “Uh… what else could a Russian asset actually possibly do that Trump hasn’t yet done?”
What else, indeed? The room was dead silent — the kind of pause where you can hear chairs creak and paper shuffle.
Landau tried to squirm out.
Mr. Landau: “Senator, the President has made it absolutely clear that his top priority is to try to bring peace and end an absolutely savage war. I… I know you’re familiar with the, uh… the… the savagery. This is turning into World War I-style trench warfare now in eastern Ukraine.”
Translation: I have nothing, so let me ramble until you forget what you asked.
Mr. Landau: “The President is an exceptionally gifted dealmaker. He is probably the only individual in the entire universe that could actually stop this.”
The entire universe. Not just Earth — the universe. Apparently Trump’s cutting side deals with Alpha Centauri now.
Senator Merkley: “Well, let’s turn to another — thank you very much, since you’re now off the topic I was raising.”
That’s polite for “You’re embarrassing yourself — let’s try someone else.”
Merkley turned to Whitaker.
Senator Merkley: “Mr. Whitaker, these five things that the President has done that are so favorable to Putin and so damaging to Ukraine and to our partnership with Europe… do you approve of them?”
Whitaker tried the old “blame Biden” routine.
Mr. Whitaker: “Well, Senator, thanks for that question. I’m just going to have to, uh… politely disagree with you, uh… on those five things and the way you’ve framed them.”
“You know… the war in Ukraine would have never happened if President Trump was president in 2022. The war in Ukraine happened because of Joe Biden’s weakness.”
Merkley didn’t flinch.
Senator Merkley: “Well, maybe you could some other time go on television and express those points of view, but… do you mind just answering the question I asked?”
And that’s where Whitaker realized he’d stepped into the bear trap.
Senator Merkley: “Do you agree with the five things that President Trump has done — starting with him expressing Russian propaganda from the Oval Office?”
Mr. Whitaker: “Well, you know… again, as I mentioned to your colleague, I am not here to assign labels. We’re in the middle of a very, uh… important peace negotiation.”
Senator Merkley: “I agree. Thank you. Uh… I… I do hope that we have an Administration that works to get the very best deal for Ukraine.
“But what a Russian asset would do would be to work to get the very best deal for Russia — and that appears to be exactly what Donald Trump is trying to accomplish.”
Merkley didn’t shout. He didn’t wave his arms. He just said it — clear as glass — and let the silence hang heavy in the room.
Landau and Whitaker sat there like a couple of guys who’d just realized their GPS was guiding them into a lake.
If Trump isn’t a Russian asset, he’s sure putting in the effort to look like one.”
How the hell a 5yo became the ruler of the most powerful country on the planet? Oh, sorry, in the universe… i dOn’T fEeL sPeCiAl… oh, you are special, donald, but not that kind of special you are thinking about.
“they’re taking tremendous punishment, I don’t quite get it,”
It’s because you shut off information sharing and shut off weapons, you fucking moron!!!