Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer will be meeting in Downing Street this afternoon after the Ukrainian leader’s extraordinary clash with Donald Trump in front of the world’s media last night.
Saturday 1 March 2025 15:11, UK
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As we reported just after midnight, Russia is still launching drone attacks on Ukraine.
The latest report came just hours after Donald Trump’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy descended into an argument.
And despite Trump’s claims that Vladimir Putin wants peace, Moscow has continued its raids more or less daily.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, this one wounded 12 civilians in Kharkiv, the country’s second city.
Three children were among those hurt.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said some of the drones hit a medical facility, while others damaged residential buildings
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 154 drones at Ukrainian territory, 103 of which were shot down.
With Washington’s increasingly belligerent stance towards Ukraine, European nations are trying to raise their own support for Kyiv.
Germany’s foreign minister has said leaders meeting next week from across the continent must decide on a comprehensive financial package for Ukraine.
Annalena Baerbock also called on Berlin to release an additional €3bn (£2.48bn) in aid.
Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK earlier today, Norway’s prime minister said the government will soon ask parliament to raise its economic support.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been TV stars, but yesterday’s extraordinary exchange in the Oval Office was a first for both of them.
Body language expert Paul Boross analyses what their posture, hand signals and volume said about their interaction.
Russia’s foreign ministry has said this afternoon that Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to Washington was a political and diplomatic “failure”.
Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed Zelenskyy’s behaviour at the White House was “outrageously boorish” and said the Ukrainian president was “an unabashed cynic” whose main goal was to keep power.
“The visit to Washington was a complete political and diplomatic failure by the Kyiv regime,” she said.
“For the sake of this, he has destroyed the opposition, built a totalitarian state and ruthlessly sends millions of citizens to their deaths.”
Kyiv has previously dismissed such accusations.
As we have been reporting today, the heated exchange between Donald Trump and Voodymyr Zelenskyy descended into a tense back-and-forth.
Defending himself and his country, the Ukrainian president openly challenged Trump on his softer approach to Vladimir Putin and urged him to make “no compromises with a killer”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said the scenes that unfolded in the White House yesterday were “regrettable” and make Vladimir Putin “feel like the winner”.
Farage, who counts the US president as a close friend, went on to call for a peace deal.
Here is what Farage said…
During the chaotic Oval Office shouting match between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader was asked about his decision to not wear a suit by Brian Glenn, who is the chief White House correspondent for right-wing website Real America’s Voice.
Glenn – who is dating far-right congresswoman and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene – said: “Why don’t you wear a suit? Do you own a suit?”
Zelenskyy said in response he would wear a suit when the war ends.
“Maybe something like yours, maybe something better,” he retorted.
Now, Glenn has issued a statement appearing to yet again mock the Ukrainian leader’s military fatigues.
“For him, once again, to enter the highest office in the most powerful nation in the world, dressed as he did, reflects his inner disrespect for not only our country, the president and the US citizens that have made it possible for Ukraine to survive as long as they have to this point,” he wrote.
Glenn also claimed Zelenskyy “has worn the green jumpsuit (or something similar) on every occasion when meeting other world leaders, dressed respectfully for the occasion.”
It should be noted here that Zelenskyy wore a black sweater with the Ukrainian trident when he met Trump yesterday, which is a departure from his usual military clothing.
He wears this clothing to reflect his solidarity with the armed forces and those fighting on the frontline.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “more Churchill-adjacent than anything we have seen” during his visit to the White House, our US correspondent James Matthews notes in the latest Trump 100 podcast.
After the Ukrainian leader came under fire from Donald Trump and his vice president JD Vance, Matthews says that Zelenskyy was “boxed in”.
He also says that the exchange came after Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron separately visited Trump to speak about Ukraine.
“We’ve had Keir Starmer and Macron come here and to a degree kiss the ring, and clearly there’s a value in that, but I’m not sure their visits have aged well,” he says.
“Zelenskyy took a more robust approach, maybe the first senior political figure to stand up in the Oval Office, point to Trump and say the emperor has no clothes.
“The reality was confronted by him in a way that was real, direct, and that will be applauded by many in Ukraine.
“He was more Churchill-adjacent than anything we have seen.”
Matthews says Starmer and Macron were trying to maintain traditional relationship as strong allies with the US but the situation appears to be different now.
He adds: “You have to ask yourself, is America a traditional ally any longer? America seems to be leaving its recognised allies far behind.”
Meanwhile, our US correspondent Mark Stone says a consequence of the meeting is Trump “has isolated the US terribly” and has united the EU in condemnation of the way things unfolded in the Oval Office.
He adds: “Keir Starmer is now trying to play a dangerous, delicate game.
“Maybe he can see himself now as the man who can help repair the relationship with Trump and Zelenskyy?”
Watch Matthews and Stone on the latest Trump 100 podcast below…
Russia is ready for flexibility in talks on Ukraine, but only in accordance with the Russian constitution, the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said today, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti.
Following the showdown between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday, Medvedev said Russia was ready to discuss a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, but only with those “who are ready to communicate”.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he “cannot change Ukraine’s position on Russia”.
“The Russians are killing us. Russia is the enemy, and that’s the reality we face. Ukraine wants peace, but it must be a just and lasting peace. For that, we need to be strong at the negotiation table,” he said.
Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be meeting in Downing Street this afternoon, a spokesperson has said.
Starmer will convene a gathering of European leaders at Downing Street tomorrow, aimed at planning for how to police a future Ukraine peace deal.
The prime minister believes such a deal will have to involve the US.
But hopes for unity between European nations and America on Ukraine’s future has been shattered by the blowout between Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is “grateful” to the US but he wants the nation “to stand more firmly” by Ukraine’s side in a statement on X.
He says he is thankful to Donald Trump and the US Congress for their support, adding that America’s help has been “vital in helping us survive”.
Touching on his “tough dialogue” with Trump he says: “We need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals.
“It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support.”
He also says he is ready to sign the minerals agreement and it would be the first step toward security guarantees.
“But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that,” he adds.
“A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine.”
He also says that he wants the US “to stand more firmly on our side”.
“It will be difficult without the US support. But we can’t lose our will, our freedom, or our people,” he says.
You can read his full statement here…
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