Zelenskyy Gets 'Warm' Welcome, Big Loan From British PM On Eve Of Summit

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was welcomed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for one-on-one talks, a day after the Ukrainian leader had an unprecedented White House clash with the U.S. president that threatened the future of U.S. support for Kyiv.

Starmer and Zelenskyy met behind closed doors at 10 Downing Street on March 1 for a little more than an hour before emerging. They gave no comments to the press outside before Zelenskyy drove away.

However, the two countries' finance chiefs -- Britain’s Rachel Reeves and Ukraine's Serhiy Marchenko -- announced they had signed a loan deal worth 2.26 billion pounds ($2.84 billion), aimed at boosting Kyiv's defenses.

London said the agreement was a sign of "our unwavering and ongoing support for the Ukrainian people" and added that the funds would be paid back through profits derived from frozen Russian sovereign assets.

Later, Zelenskyy posted on X that the session with Starmer was "a meaningful and warm meeting."

"During our talks, we discussed the challenges facing Ukraine and all of Europe, coordination with partners, concrete steps to strengthen Ukraine's position, and ending the war with a just peace, along with robust security guarantees," Zelenskyy said.

He added that the loan "funds will be directed toward weapons production in Ukraine. This is true justice -- the one who started the war must be the one to pay."

The warm welcome from Starmer was a major contrast to the acrimonious confrontation the previous day at the Oval House between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump that was broadcast around the world.

Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington, D.C., with the expectation of signing a mineral deal aimed at opening up Ukraine's mineral resources to U.S. investment. The agreement would have also smoothed the way for continued U.S. support for Kyiv in its defense against Russia's 3-year-old all-out invasion.

But the Oval Office meeting turned extraordinarily tense as Trump and Vice President JD Vance confronted Zelenskyy, suggesting he was undiplomatic and ungrateful for U.S. support.

Afterward, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged him to apologize for turning the White House meeting into a "fiasco."

Key U.K. Summit To Start

Zelenskyy, who arrived in London earlier in the day March 1, was greeted by Starmer outside of 10 Downing Street. The pair hugged, and smiled for news cameras before entering Starmer's residence.

On the streets outside, hundreds of people jammed sidewalks, most appearing to be in support of Ukraine and Zelenskyy.

"You're very, very welcome here at 10 Downing Street," Starmer told the Ukrainian leader in comments broadcast by the BBC before their meeting.

"That is the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you and how much they support Ukraine," Starmer said, "and our absolute determination to stand with you, unwavering determination to achieve what we both want to achieve, which is a lasting peace, a lasting peace for Ukraine, based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine."

"We count on your support, and we really remain happy that we have such friends," Zelenskyy said in response.

The meeting concluded after about an hour, with neither leader making comments to media before Zelenskyy drove away.

The Ukrainian leader was also scheduled to meet on March 2 with King Charles III, the same day that the United Kingdom will host a key summit on Ukraine. More than a dozen European leaders, as well as NATO and EU representatives, were expected to discuss support for Ukraine and increasing economic pressure on Russia.

EU leaders were also expected to meet later next week to discuss an increase in defense spending.

Despite receiving support from European leaders, Zelenskyy's tense meeting at the White House has complicated Ukraine's desire to secure the United States as a reliable partner in helping the country's defense against Russia and ending the war on terms acceptable to Kyiv.

In an interview with Fox News just hours after the fiery exchange, Zelenskyy said that he respects Trump and, "of course" he believes the relationship can be fixed as Ukraine does not want to lose its partner.

'Thankful To President Trump'

In a series of posts on X, Zelenskyy also wrote: "We are very grateful to the United States for all the support. I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and [the] American people. Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion."

Days before Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, Starmer also traveled to meet Trump and he urged the U.S. president to guarantee Ukraine's security should a deal be reached to end the conflict, now in its fourth year.

Starmer also hailed the so-called special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom in what analysts said was an attempt to play the role of a "bridge" between Europe and Trump.

The U.K. prime minister also spoke separately with Trump and Zelenskyy and expressed his "unwavering support" for Ukraine.

However, when asked about U.S. security guarantees after meeting with Starmer, Trump said it was too early to discuss as a cease-fire had yet to be reached.

Though European allies have collectively supplied more aid to Kyiv, the United States is by far the largest single supplier of weaponry, which has bolstered Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.

During his election campaign, Trump repeatedly expressed skepticism about U.S. aid for Ukraine. At the same time, he indicated that resolving the conflict with Russia was a major priority for his administration.

Last month, a top-level delegation of U.S. officials met with Russian counterparts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- the first such meeting since before the February 24, 2022, invasion.

Ukrainian officials were not present for the talks, stoking concerns that Washington and Moscow could seek to end the conflict to the detriment of Ukraine.