King Charles formally welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Windsor Castle on Friday.
It was the first ceremonial welcome that Mr Zelensky has received in the United Kingdom.
Arriving at the castle’s quadrangle, Mr Zelensky shook hands with the King and received a royal salute.
The Ukrainian national anthem played before he inspected the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards.
Dressed in black, Mr Zelensky told Major Ben Tracey, captain of the guard of honour, “Thank you so much”. He was then taken inside for an audience with the King, as the public watched from the gates.
The visit came ahead of a meeting later on Friday with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other leaders from the so-called coalition of the willing for talks on how to increase pressure on Moscow and boost Ukraine’s defences.
Measures under consideration will include further efforts to cripple the economy supporting Russia President Vladimir Putin’s war effort by taking Russian oil and gas off the global market, and seeking ways to use frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s defences.
Mr Zelensky, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, Dutch premier Dick Schoof and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte will be in London, while around 20 other leaders will dial in to a meeting of the coalition of the willing – the initiative led by Sir Keir and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Friday was the fifth meeting between the King and Mr Zelensky. The pair also met in June at Windsor Castle and in March at Sandringham.
The pair shared an audience in July 2024 at Blenheim Palace following a reception for European leaders attending the European Political Community Summit.
Their first meeting was at Buckingham Place in February 2023 – almost a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
