Volodymyr Zelensky and King Charles snapped beaming side-by-side at Sandringham after European leaders came together to back Ukraine’s president in the wake of his White House bust-up

Volodymyr Zelensky and King Charles have been photographed side-by-side at Sandringham after European leaders came together in London today to back the Ukrainian leader in the wake of his White House bust-up with Donald Trump.

Zelensky and the King were smiling as they shook hands and posed for pictures outside the royal estate, with Charles patting Zelensky’s arm during the greeting.

A military helicopter carrying Zelensky was seen flying low and descending over Sandringham at around 5.25pm.

Local people, some holding Ukraine flags, gathered outside the estate to try to witness the arrival of Zelensky in Norfolk for his meeting with the King.

‘The president was warmly received, and the meeting lasted just under an hour’, the Palace said after the meeting. 

A helicopter could be seen departing the Sandringham estate in Norfolk at 6.35pm, following the meeting between the King and Zelensky.

Zelensky previously met Charles on his first visit to the UK after Russia invaded his country in 2023, calling the audience a ‘truly special moment for me, for our country’. 

Relating to the King’s time in the RAF amid a campaign to secure jets from the UK, he quipped ‘in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king’. 

This comes after European leaders scrambled to forge a Ukraine strategy at a crisis summit today following the extraordinary White House bust-up between Donald Trump and Zelensky.

The King has made no secret of his support for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.

Just last month he issued a statement on the third anniversary of the war, writing that the ‘determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic year’.

He also praised their ‘heroism’ and ‘true valour in the face of indescribable agression’.

The 76-year-old monarch has met with Mr Zelenskyy and his wife on a number of occasions, as well as well as visiting several organisations helping Ukrainian refugees, as have other members of the Royal Family.    

Sources said the President was warmly received and the meeting – with the two men resting on stripped cushions against the orange sofas – lasted around 50 minutes. Freshly-brewed leaf tea was served.

Inside the body language was equally warm as they posed for even more photographs by the roaring fire, a picture of the king’s beloved grandmother, the Queen Mother, another of the monarch with Queen Camilla, a vase and two antique clock behind them. 

A royal aide emphasised that the monarch was ‘acting on government advice as he always does’ on holding the meeting, but was clear from body language alone that it was a one the king felt entirely comfortable with.

Zelensky’s all-black outfit was in distinct contrast to the King’s suit and tie – but one that clearly bothered the monarch far less than the occupants of the White House.

In the background two of the distinctive Arabic-style overcoats Charles likes to wear when walking around his estate could be seen hanging on a peg by the door.

It came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer told him ‘we are all with you’ and urged the gathering to step up to a ‘once in a generation moment’ after embracing Zelensky on the steps of Lancaster House in London.

Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni were present as Britain, France and Italy look set to take key roles in a ‘coalition of the willing’ to enforce any peace deal with Russia.

The leaders – also including Germany, Canada, Poland, Denmark and Sweden – are expected to signal a ramping up of defence spending. 

Zelensky said that the peace summit in London ‘was dedicated to Ukraine and our shared European future’.

‘We feel strong support for Ukraine, for our people – both soldiers and civilians, and our independence,’ he said in a tweet on X. 

The Ukrainian President added: ‘Together, we are working in Europe to establish a solid foundation for cooperation with the United States in pursuit of true peace and guaranteed security. Europe’s unity is at an exceptionally high level, one that has not been seen in a long time. 

‘We are discussing with our partners security guarantees and the conditions for a just peace for Ukraine. A series of important meetings and decisions are being prepared for the near future. 

‘I am grateful to all our friends and partners for their efforts in bringing about a stable and guaranteed peace in Ukraine. Joint strength can protect our future.’

It comes after Starmer announced a £1.6 billion finance deal which will allow Ukraine to buy more than 5,000 missiles using export finance. 

The Prime Minister told a press conference that the missiles ‘will be made in Belfast, creating jobs in our brilliant defence sector’.

He added: ‘This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthen Ukraine in securing the peace when it comes because we have to learn from the mistakes of the past’.

Sir Keir said the West is ‘at a crossroads in history today’ and warned it is ‘not a moment for more talk, it is time to act’.

It comes after the Prime Minister was warned that leaders must recognise the ‘brutal reality’ of the US pulling back from military guarantees. 

‘In my conversations in recent days, we agreed a group of us will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and then discuss that with the US and take it forward together,’ he said.

Ukraine’s allies need to also continue their support in the moment, Sir Keir stressed. ‘Even while Russia talks about peace, they are continuing their relentless aggression,’ he said.

The summit was already planned before the on-camera slanging match with Trump and his vice president JD Vance.

Trump is said to be demanding a public apology from the Ukrainian president amid threats to pull the plug on US military support. 

Meanwhile, Sir Keir played down the prospect of Trump’s state visit invite being withdrawn in the wake of his spat with Zelensky.

The PM stressed that the invitation was a ‘matter for the King’ but swiped at people ‘trying to ramp up the rhetoric’ over the White House chaos.

No10 sources were adamant that there is no chance of the visit being axed, despite a furious backlash at the ‘humiliation’ of the Ukraine president in the Oval Office.

During his trip to the White House earlier this week, Sir Keir presented the US President leader with a letter from the King inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit.

President Trump was hosted by the late Queen in 2019. Other second-term US presidents such as George W Bush and Barack Obama are usually only invited for tea or lunch.

The US president is known to be an admirer of the Royal Family, and the state visit was seen as a major tool in Sir Keir’s diplomatic armoury.   

Sir Keir – who theatrically presented President Trump with the King’s written request at the White House last week – also said he would not be ‘diverted’ when asked if it should be called off in the wake of the US President’s tirade.

While invitations are issued by Buckingham Palace in the name of the sovereign, they are very much sent on the Government’s request, a fact confirmed by the palace yesterday.

A source said: ‘It is definitely the case that State Visits take place at the request of government.’

The Prime Minister also accused his fellow politicians of ‘trying to ramp up the rhetoric’ after a series of prominent public figures called for it to be axed after President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance ganged up against the Ukrainian president on Friday.

Politicians and military leaders argued that the visit should be put on hold until the US offered security guarantees to Ukraine.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Keir said: ‘I’m not going to be diverted by the SNP or others trying to ramp up the rhetoric without really appreciating what is the single most important thing at stake in Europe.’

He said the Oval Office confrontation made him feel ‘uncomfortable’ but he decided to ‘roll up my sleeves’ in response.

It came after Scottish First Minister John Swinney told the Sunday Mail that ‘the state visit cannot go ahead’ if the US pulls back on its support for Kyiv.

Shadow minister Alicia Kearns told the Mail on Sunday that ‘state visits should be conferred to the most honourable of allies’.

‘No state visit should proceed until the steadfastness of the US’s commitment to her allies is assured,’ she said.

But a spokesman for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said to was ‘imperative that the UK remains close to America’ in order to achieve a ‘just and lasting peace for Ukraine’.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Prime Minister should use Mr Trump’s visit to leverage security guarantees from the US.

However, his predecessor Sir Vince Cable told Times Radio that the visit should be called off, saying that ‘using the royal family’ in that way ‘is not very clever’.

He added: ‘Short-term advantage but long-term disadvantage is inviting Trump and I think it will avoid a lot of embarrassment for this country, for the royal family, if we find a way of quietly dropping it.’