Trump "goes cool" on UK after King Charles meets Zelenskyy

Diplomatic sources claim that United States President Donald Trump has "gone cool" toward Britain after King Charles III received Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his residence at Sandringham Palace in Norfolk last week.

Allies of former President Donald Trump expressed their discontent, stating that the images of the British monarch with Zelenskyy made Trump feel "less special" about his own invitation for a state visit to Britain, Caliber.Az reports, citing UK media.

The controversy began after King Charles welcomed Zelenskyy to his Norfolk residence, just days after UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had extended an official invitation for Trump to visit London. According to sources, Trump's aides made it clear to British officials that the high-profile meeting with Zelensky, coming amid a tense exchange between Trump and the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office, left the former president feeling slighted.

A diplomatic source in Washington explained, "Things definitely went a bit cool in Washington after Sandringham. We told them that the King makes his own decisions about who he meets." However, UK government officials denied that Trump was sulking over the meeting, with No. 10 clarifying that it "did not recognize" the claims.

The timing of the meeting also raised eyebrows, as it followed a heated dispute between Trump and Zelensky over Ukraine’s handling of U.S. aid. Further adding to the diplomatic mix, just a day after the Sandringham meeting, King Charles welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is embroiled in a trade dispute with the U.S. following Trump's imposition of 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports.

While the UK's stance remains that the King is free to make independent decisions, the diplomatic rift appears to have added another layer of complexity to Anglo-American relations. 

By Khagan Isayev