Trump angry with King Charles over Zelensky reception – media

The US president has been feuding with the Ukrainian leader over military aid and peace talks with Russia

US President Donald Trump was irritated by a meeting between British King Charles III and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, the Daily Mail claimed on Sunday, citing diplomatic sources in Washington. 

Zelensky met with the king in his Sandringham residence in western England on March 2, just days after the Ukrainian leader’s public spat with Trump in the Oval Office.

“Things definitely went a bit cool in Washington after Sandringham. We told them that the King makes his own decisions about who he meets,” the Daily Mail quoted “a well-placed source” as saying. 

People close to Trump reportedly conveyed to UK officials that photos of the king with Zelensky made him feel “less special” about Charles’ invitation for a second state visit to Britain. UK officials responded by arguing that it would have been inappropriate for the government to “direct” the king not to meet with Zelensky, according to the Daily Mail.

A UK government spokesman has denied that there has been a quarrel. “We do not recognize these reports. We have been unequivocal about the importance of the US as an ally of the UK,” the spokesman said.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented a letter from the king to Trump during a meeting in the White House last month. “This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented,” Starmer told the president. Trump has accepted the invitation. In 2019, he conducted a three-day state visit in the UK and met with the late Queen Elizabeth II, as well as with Charles, who was then the heir to the throne. 

Trump has accused Zelensky of acting disrespectfully and being ungrateful for American military aid. He further claimed that Zelensky was not willing to make peace with Russia and was sabotaging his efforts to broker a ceasefire.

Last week, Trump halted the deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, saying that Kiev must show more commitment to peace talks.