Starmer and Zelensky seen shaking hands at the end of a press conference in Kyiv in January [Yevhen Kotenko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday, Starmer’s office said, ahead of a wider summit of European leaders in London on Sunday to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister and President Zelensky will be meeting in Downing Street this afternoon,” a spokesperson for Starmer’s office said.
The meeting follows an extraordinary public spat between Zelensky and Donald Trump at the White House over the war with Russia, with the US president threatening to withdraw support for Ukraine.
Zelensky had seen the meeting in the Oval Office as an opportunity to convince the United States not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Starmer spoke to both Trump and Zelensky on Friday and expressed his “unwavering support” for Ukraine, echoing similar statements of backing for Zelensky from other European leaders.