Monarch moved the dial so Kyiv could win Trump’s support for the war, says Zelensky’s adviser
King Charles hosts Volodymyr Zelensky at Windsor Castle, one of several meetings between them during the war Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA
Hannah Furness Royal Editor
27 September 2025
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.
Within a week, the then Prince Charles had instructed staff to pull together a hasty but heartfelt engagement at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, to meet the ambassador, as well as mothers and children in the community, to show his support.
Since then, as King, he has spoken in the French, German and Italian parliaments in support of Ukraine, hosted Volodymyr Zelensky for tea at arguably his most difficult moment on the world stage and sent a formal message every year reiterating the need for the world to stand united.
He has not dithered about taking sides. The men, women and children of Ukraine, he said, have “suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation”. The attack on their lands and homes was “brutal aggression”.
So he may be gratified to hear from Mr Zelensky’s top adviser that it was he, above all other world leaders, who finally moved the dial on winning critical American support for their cause.
US president persuaded Kyiv could win
It was he, said Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, who persuaded Donald Trump that the invaded, degraded country could win the war.
Mr Trump duly delivered what appeared to be an about-turn at the UN, changing his policy towards Russia and Ukraine. He had previously insisted that Ukraine should give up territory to Russia to secure peace.
For a King who has spoken openly of his desire to be a peacemaker – to bring people together and make a difference – little could be more satisfying.
Of all the causes he has taken up with fervour over the years – and there have been many – this is the one that appears to have had the most immediate, tangible effect on the global stage.
Whether it lasts, of course, is another matter, in a world where Mr Trump changes his mind at pace.
It is nevertheless the product of a long campaign by the King, to keep Ukraine at the front of the world’s mind.
The signals of the support and solidarity coming from the palace, one royal source said, have been “loud and proud”.
If the late Queen Elizabeth II was scrupulously apolitical, steering away from potential controversy for almost her entire reign, her son has chosen his moments to make a gesture.
King Charles is known to have discussed Ukraine in private meetings with Mr Trump during the recent state visit. He is believed to have made it a priority, woven in to his hosting duties at Windsor Castle, and made a careful mention of it just once in the state banquet speech.
Addressing the president, as is customary for such speeches, he said: “Our countries have the closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known.
“In two World Wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny.
“Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”
In an address designed to flatter his American guests, he added that the “bond between our two nations is indeed a remarkable one” with “unshakeable trust in our friendship and in our shared commitment to independence and liberty”.
It was the latest in a long line of references to Ukraine in public, dotted throughout the three years of his reign.
He has hosted Mr Zelensky multiple times, most notably at Sandringham after the Ukrainian president’s bruising encounter with Mr Trump and JD Vance, the US vice-president, at the White House.
He mentioned the country in speeches for VE Day and VJ Day and aired footage of aid workers in Ukraine during his Christmas broadcast. He also meets Ukrainian refugees whenever he goes overseas on tour.
In 2024, he hosted a reception for European leaders focusing on issues including Ukraine and, in 2023, visited Ukrainian troops training in Britain.
Even his Coronation featured aircraft that had delivered support to Ukraine.
He marked one year of the conflict with an official message to the people of Ukraine, saying: “The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering.”
Bonding with new crop of leaders
He has found himself part of an extraordinary diplomatic triangle: a “friend” to Mr Trump and staunch ally of Mr Zelensky, with Sir Keir Starmer at his shoulder.
Those who know the King, and those who have watched him work over the years, give him credit for his role on the international stage, on which he has built strong bonds with a new generation of leaders.
Now an elder statesman, albeit not quite as “elder” as his late mother, he has found himself in the role of mediator.
In the recent US state visit, the King made the case for Britain’s “soft power” like never before.
“I have spent much of my life trying to bring people together,” he once said. “I try.”
It is a world away from the Prince Charles of 2014, when he clumsily told a member of the public in Canada that he thought Vladimir Putin’s attempted expansion into Ukraine was “doing just about the same as Hitler”.
In 2025, he works in nudges. He has charmed Mr Trump, just as his mother did before him, and appears to have known which buttons to press gently behind the scenes to make the case for Ukraine.
The stakes for Ukraine could scarcely be higher: American support is essential at this juncture.
If Mr Trump sticks to his word – and it is far from certain that he will – the King may yet win the peacemaker legacy he has worked for his whole life.