Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands during a bilateral meeting at 10 Downing Street ahead of a summit of European leaders, on March 1, 2025, in London.
Peter Nicholls | Via Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer greeted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a warm embrace on Saturday after the Ukrainian leader flew to London for talks following his clash at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an extraordinary Oval Office meeting on Friday, Trump threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine, three years after Russia invaded its smaller neighbor.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Zelenskyy and Trump on Saturday and called for calm in an interview following Friday’s White House clash.
In London, a crowd cheered as Zelenskyy arrived for talks with Starmer at his Downing Street office before a summit of European leaders that the Ukrainian president will attend on Sunday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine.
“I hope you heard some of that cheering in the street. That is the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you … and our absolute determination to stand with you,” Starmer told him.
Starmer told Zelenskyy he had “full backing across the United Kingdom.”
“We stand with you and Ukraine for as long as it may take,” Starmer said.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday he had “important and warm” talks with Starmer, with a discussion on strengthening Ukraine’s position and obtaining reliable security guarantees.
“During our talks we discussed the challenges standing before Ukraine and all of Europe, coordination with our partners, concrete steps to strengthen Ukraine’s position and ending the war in a just fashion, with reliable security guarantees,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Other European leaders also issued messages of support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine after his meeting with Trump, highlighting differences between traditional allies the United States and Europe over the war since Trump returned to office.
Senior Russian politicians have reacted with glee to what they see as Zelenskyy’s White House humiliation, saying the Ukrainian leader got what he deserved and that U.S. military aid to Kyiv must now be cut.