Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, shared a private lunch with King Charles III at Windsor Castle on Monday, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
The visit came as part of Zelensky’s diplomatic trip to London, ahead of the NATO summit scheduled to take place in The Hague.
“Visited The King this afternoon and remained to luncheon,” the palace noted in its statement, highlighting the monarch’s meeting with the wartime leader.
Zelensky touched down in the UK earlier in the day and is expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other senior government figures.
He will then proceed to the Netherlands for the NATO gathering on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Alongside high-level diplomatic engagements, the Ukrainian president is also scheduled to meet with Ukrainian troops currently receiving training in the United Kingdom, as well as address members of key think-tanks, according to his spokesperson.
The spokesperson emphasized that the primary aim of the visit was to “deepen defence cooperation.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the UK has stood as one of Kyiv’s most committed allies, enacting waves of sanctions against Moscow and delivering consistent military assistance to bolster Ukraine’s resistance.
