King Charles Meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace
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King Charles welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Buckingham Palace today, in a meeting Zelensky called "truly special."
In a speech to Westminster Hall ahead of the meeting, Zelensky said, "Today I will have the honour to be received by His Majesty the King. It will be a truly special moment for me, for our country."
He continued, "In particular because I will convey to him from all the Ukrainians the words of gratitude for the support His Majesty showed to them when he was still the Prince of Wales. I also intend to tell him something I think that is very, very, very important, not only for the future of Ukraine but for the future of Europe. In Britain, the King is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king."
Zelensky concluded, "God bless Great Britain and long live the King."
This was the first time Zelensky and King Charles had met, though the Ukrainian President had met Prince William and Kate Middleton in October 2020. This is Zelensky's first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion.
When the Zelensky arrived at the Palace, Charles told him, "We've all been worried about you and thinking about your country for so long, I can't tell you." During their meeting, in the 1844 room, the two had tea and discussed the conflict in Ukraine.
Though Charles had not personally met Zelensky before today, the British monarch has been open about his support for Ukraine since war broke out. In March 2022, the then-Prince of Wales described the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "brutal aggression," and visited the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London to offer support for the community.
Just last month, Charles and Queen Camilla met with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain who live in Bolton. Yaroslaw Tymchyshyn, who was at that engagement, told Town & Country that King and Queen Consort "have been absolutely marvelous in their support, the whole royal family have."
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