The two leaders met after Friday's disastrous meeting between US President Donald Trump and Zelenskyj at the White House.
A greater contrast could hardly be experienced between two meetings.
Starmer hugged Zelenskyj lightly as he quickly arrived at the Prime Minister's office from the column of black cars. Zelenskyj avoided questions from shouting reporters and after a thumbs-up, the two quickly went in through the door to the office.
Thanks King Charles
In comfortable armchairs and in front of a fireplace, a photographer took the official picture.
You are very, very welcome, said Starmer and emphasized Britain's unwavering support for Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion war.
We both want a sustainable peace that shows Ukraine's sovereignty and gives the country security guarantees, underlined Starmer.
A visibly relieved Zelenskyj thanked Britain for all the support.
I also want to thank the king (Charles III) for agreeing to meet me tomorrow, said Zelenskyj and stated that the historical contacts between the two countries have existed for a long time.
Multi-billion loan to Ukraine
After an hour and a half, the meeting ended with Starmer escorting Zelenskyj to his car. No joint press conference was held, but shortly afterwards, the news came that Britain and Ukraine had agreed on a loan of 2.26 billion pounds – equivalent to around 35 billion kronor – for defense efforts in Ukraine.
The loan will be repaid with the profits from the Russian assets frozen by Britain.
A few hours after the meeting, Zelenskyj posted a post on the platform X, where he wrote that the loan will be used for the production of weapons and military equipment in Ukraine.
Thanked for the support
At the same time, he took the opportunity to thank Britain, its people, and leaders for the support they had given after the Russian invasion. He also posted a short film about the visit to 10 Downing Street.
The meeting followed almost exactly 24 hours after the disastrous and chaotic meeting between Zelenskyj, Donald Trump, and US Vice President J D Vance.
The meeting with Starmer is now followed by a larger summit in London on Sunday, where European leaders, including Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, will discuss approaches both towards Moscow and Washington DC.
