Tom McArthur & Emma Rossiter
BBC News
Jonathan Brady / PA
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in Downing Street on Saturday afternoon, No 10 has said.
Zelensky arrived at Stansted Airport at approximately 11:20 GMT in the wake of a White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Friday that descended into a row between the two leaders over the war in Ukraine.
It comes a day before Sir Keir hosts a summit of European leaders to discuss bringing the war between Ukraine and Russia to an end, as well as wider European defence.
That meeting will now be overshadowed by recent events in Washington and concerns about a hardening of relations with the US.
In recent weeks, the prime minister sought to cast himself as a bridge between the US and Europe as it adapts to the Trump administration’s desire to be less involved in European defence, having a cordial meeting with Trump a day before Zelensky’s.
He has also worked to be a conduit for Ukraine as it seeks security guarantees in any peace deal – with Sir Keir contacting both Trump and Zelensky by phone in the aftermath of their row.
Following the acrimonious Oval Office meeting, Zelensky has attempted to paper over the cracks.
In a statement, he said of Trump: “Despite the tough dialogue, we remain strategic partners. But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals.”
When his plane landed in the UK, the Ukrainian leader wrote in a string of social media posts: “It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support. He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do.
“We are the ones living this war in Ukraine. It’s a fight for our freedom, for our very survival.”
Sunday’s summit in London is the latest round of top-level European meetings in response to Washington’s new approach to ending the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion over three years ago.
The Trump administration has so far excluded Europe from preliminary talks with Russia, while the president has been accused of parroting Russian propaganda.
Top of the agenda on Sunday will be increasing Europe’s defence capabilities as the US steps back, as well as seeking security guarantees for Ukraine from the White House as part of any peace deal.
Ahead of the last summit in Paris, Sir Keir proposed deploying British troops to Ukraine as part of a European peacekeeping force – but said this would require a US security “backstop”.
Trump has consistently resisted to fully committing direct US military support to a Ukraine peace deal, but has offered closer economic ties including a minerals deal, which he said could act as a deterrent.
And since Friday’s furious row, media reports from the US suggest Trump is considering cutting off aid to Ukraine altogether.
At the same time, European leaders have recognised the need to increase defence spending – but experts have warned that the UK’s military was currently unready to meet an enlarged defence role.
More than a dozen leaders are due to meet with Sir Keir and Zelensky on Sunday, including outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Donald Tusk, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and the European Council President António Costa.
A special European Commission defence package will be announced on 6 March, according to Tusk.
The Oval Office spat prompted European allies to mount a spirited defence of the embattled Ukrainian president.
On Saturday, the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, warned that it had “become clear that the free world needs a new leader. It is up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
Friedrich Merz, who is expected to become Germany’s next chancellor, wrote that he stood with Ukraine “in good and testing times”, adding: “We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.”