Monarch warmly welcomes Ukrainian president to Windsor Castle
The King appeared in good spirits as he shook hands with Mr ZelenskyCredit: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Victoria Ward Deputy Royal Editor
24 June 2025
The King has met Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a crunch Nato summit in The Hague
On Monday, the monarch welcomed the Ukrainian president to Windsor Castle, where they had lunch together.
The two men, who last met on March 2, were pictured chatting as they made their way through the castle’s Grand Corridor, the King wearing a grey suit and Mr Zelensky in his trademark black clothing.
The audience came ahead of Mr Zelensky’s afternoon meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in London.
Mr Zelensky said he expected to discuss his country’s defences and new ways to increase pressure on Russia, before the Nato summit on Tuesday.
His arrival in the UK followed reports that Russia had fired 352 drones and 16 missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing at least 10 civilians, seven in Kyiv.
The King met Mr Zelensky earlier this year at Sandringham House, Norfolk. They posed briefly for photos before taking tea in the property’s Saloon room.
The hour-long audience in March came after the Ukrainian leader attended a defence summit on Ukraine in London.
It was a time of political turmoil, with the Government increasingly leaning on the Royal family’s unique brand of soft diplomacy.
Mr Zelensky had arrived in the UK just hours after his angry clash with Donald Trump at the White House, during which the US president warned that he was “gambling with World War Three”.
The pair previously met at Buckingham Palace during Mr Zelensky’s surprise visit to the UK in February 2023.
They also shook hands and held talks at the European Political Community summit in Oxfordshire in July 2024.
Huge numbers of people have been fooled by a video on social media that went viral. It is clever, convincing and entirely AI generated. It has the King in a political diatribe, criticising the attack on Iran.
It’s entirely fake. Neither the King or his late mother ever put out political statements. It’s an attempt to damage UK-US relations.
Comment from:
Matt Forster
President Zelensky is the formidable leader of a brave nation fighting for its survival. Of course the king is doing the right thing showing his support. Any normal person would be on Ukraine’s side.
Ray Barlow
Why ??
Just why ?
Alan Parker
Reply to Ray Barlow
Because Putin illegally invaded in 2014 and then escalated massively in 2022.
Been in a coma?
Hilary Deighton
Reply to Ray Barlow
Did you miss that war thing? Or the fact that Ukraine and Britain are friends and allies with many joint ventures looking forward to the happy day when all Russian boots have left Ukrainian soil so that everybody can get back to peaceful business? It is splendid to see the King and President Zelensky on affable terms.
The only why is this article surely refers to Ward’s distinct lack of writing skills.
Matthew Matic
Reply to Ray Barlow
Perhaps the King is familiar with the Budapest Memorandum and wishes to apologise for depriving Ukraine of its nuclear weapons.
Graham Boyd
Good to see the King and Zelensky getting on well. In comparison, Putin gets to meet an Iranian terrorist to tell him Russia is powerless against the West.
In other good news, yet another day when Russia has failed to advance anywhere.
Jenny Lamont
Well done King Charles
President Zelensky represents the nation valiant Ukrainian People who are being constantly bombed while they sleep by that war criminal Putin
I hope that the U.K. continues to give all possible assistance to the Ukraine through giving access to frozen Russian assets to buy weapons etc
King Charles understands that unless the democracies stand with Ukraine then the dictator war criminal wins.
Matt Forster
President Zelensky is the leader of a very brave nation currently being attacked in the most savage way by the Russian state.
Since 2022, at least 13,438 civilians have been killed in Ukraine due to Russian actions, including 713 children, and 33,270 people have been injured, all according to the UN. These are appalling numbers and it is only right and proper that the king shows his support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s terror.
M Bilewycz
I am not surprised the King is meeting Zelenskyy.
In doing so he shows support for an independent sovereign country fighting for its survival against Putin’s nazi Russia.
In other words a supremely just cause.
On top of that the meeting merely confirms Zelenskyy’s status as an international statesman, who has shown himself as a leader head and shoulders above the leader of every major country on the planet.
Jean jeanmr
Whatever Russian money has been frozen in this country should be handed to Ukraine.