Zelensky bruised but upbeat after diplomatic whirlwind


Zelensky bruised but upbeat after diplomatic whirlwind

Published 2 March 2025 "Bruised but motivated," was how one of Volodymyr Zelensky's entourage described how they had been feeling, as a small group of journalists crammed into what felt like an even smaller room at Stansted Airport. The British state had done its best to give the Ukrainian president "all bells and whistles" when he arrived in the UK for a summit with 18 world leaders after his dressing down by Donald Trump and JD Vance on Friday night, a government source told me. He shared an embrace with Sir Keir Starmer outside No 10, where he was greeted with spontaneously cheering crowds, and met with King Charles for tea. But it was telling that in the 90 minutes before his plane's wheels went up as he heads back home, Zelensky wanted to go on the record to make his arguments to the world - this time speaking only in Ukrainian - to make sure he was not misunderstood.