After having a public quarrel with the US President at the White House and being given the 'order to leave', the President of Ukraine arrived in the UK. On March 1st, a meeting was held with the UK Prime Minister and was 'warmly welcomed'.
The UK side stated that it will continue to'stand firmly with' Ukraine and confirmed that it will provide more than 2 billion pounds in aid loans to Ukraine. Ukraine will use the proceeds from the Russian assets frozen by the West to repay the loans.
Zelensky's Swift Arrival in the UK and the Prime Minister's 'Warm Welcome'
On March 1st local time, a closed - door meeting of about 75 minutes took place between the two leaders at 10 Downing Street. When the President of Ukraine arrived outside the Prime Minister's residence, he was cheered by the waiting crowd. The UK Prime Minister stepped forward to greet and hug him. 'Downing Street welcomes you very, very much,' the UK Prime Minister said, adding that the UK 'fully supports' Ukraine. After the meeting, the Prime Minister saw the President of Ukraine out, and the two hugged again.
Another important item on the President of Ukraine's London itinerary was to attend a meeting of European leaders on the 2nd, where the Ukraine crisis would be discussed.
A Quarrel with the US President the Day Before the UK Visit
On February 28th, the day before the visit to the UK, the President of Ukraine visited the White House. In front of the media, a fierce quarrel broke out with the US President and the US Vice - President over the Ukraine issue. The originally scheduled joint press conference between the President of Ukraine and the US President was cancelled, and the US - Ukraine mineral agreement was not signed.
According to US media reports, the US President gave the 'order to leave' and cancelled the lunch meeting. Video footage showed that when the President of Ukraine left the White House, only one US official accompanied him to the door. He then flew to the UK.
The President of Ukraine said on social media that the meeting with the UK Prime Minister was 'important and warm', and they discussed 'the challenges facing Ukraine and the whole of Europe... to end this war fairly with reliable security guarantees'.
After the meeting, the UK Prime Minister's office issued a statement saying that the UK is committed to ensuring a just and lasting peace to safeguard Ukraine's sovereignty and security. The two sides will continue to discuss relevant topics at the European leaders' meeting on the 2nd.
Ukraine to Repay Debts with 'Russian Money'
On the 1st, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Ukrainian Minister of Finance signed an agreement via remote video. The UK will provide a 2.26 - billion - pound (about 20.7 billion yuan) loan to Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine said on social media that this loan will be used for Ukraine's weapons production and will be'repaid with the proceeds from the frozen Russian assets'. The UK side said that the loan will be disbursed over three years, with 752 million pounds per year, and the first installment will be provided next weekend.
After the full - scale escalation of the Ukraine crisis in 2022, the West froze about 300 billion US dollars of Russia's overseas assets. More than 200 billion euros of these assets are in the European Union, mostly in the accounts of Euroclear Bank headquartered in Belgium.
The Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that according to international law, any seizure of Russian assets by Western governments is a 'theft' that damages their own credibility.
The US President's Claim Refuted by UK and French Leaders
Both Europe and the US have provided assistance to Ukraine in the Russia - Ukraine conflict, but the US President insists that the US has been at a disadvantage.
On February 27th, the US President held talks with the visiting UK Prime Minister. When talking about recent US - Russia negotiations and the US - Ukraine mineral agreement, the US President said that the US also wanted to 'get something from supporting Ukraine' like European countries. The UK Prime Minister immediately refuted, saying that a large part of the UK's financial support for Ukraine was a 'gift' and would not be recovered.
This scene was exactly the same as what happened when the French President visited the White House on the 24th. At that time, during the talks between the US President and the French President at the White House, the US President claimed that Europe provided aid to Ukraine in the form of loans and would eventually'recover' it, while the US could not. The French President refuted that 60% of the total European aid to Ukraine was'self - funded', and the forms of European aid to Ukraine were the same as those of the US, including loans, guarantees, and grants.
The French President also said at that time that the Russian assets frozen by the EU 'are not loan collateral because they do not belong to us'.
The US and Ukraine had originally agreed to sign an agreement during the President of Ukraine's visit to the US, allowing the US to obtain the right to mine key mineral resources in Ukraine as a return for the US's previous assistance. However, the two sides parted on bad terms, and the signing date of the agreement is undetermined. After this quarrel, leaders of European countries such as the French President and the UK Prime Minister all voiced their support for the President of Ukraine.