Sky News was abruptly halted for a King Charles III announcement this afternoon as the monarch met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As the breaking news banner flashed across the screen, the host Jayne Secker said: “Breaking news, we can bring you. It’s just been announced that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has visited the King this afternoon. We knew he was across in the UK and had a meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday.” She continued as she delivered the update: “It’s not the first time he has met the King, but it’s another meeting between the President of Ukraine and the King.”
It comes a day after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, and Zelenskyy met to discuss their unwavering support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s war on the nation.
On Sunday evening, in London, they debated “the urgent need to scale up” Ukraine’s air defences and deep-strike capabilities.
The meeting with various world leaders came hours after a Russian drone strike, which damaged a storage centre nine miles from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
Prior to the meeting, Zelenskyy told Sky News: “We will respond. We will be stronger and stronger each day.”
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin recently rejected an offer made in a open letter by the Ukrainian leader to engage in face to face talks. The Russian leader said his conflict goals remained the same and stated there was “no point” in holding peace negotiations.
Zelenskyy heavily criticised Putin’s 26 years in power in the letter, which was the first he’d written directly to Putin since the war started in 2022.
He also condemned Russia’s strikes near Chornobyl, writing on X: “An extremely critical infrastructure facility – and an extremely vile Russian strike.
“As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels. But there is certainly an increase in Russia’s brazenness, which long ago went off the charts.”
