Zelenskyy Urges UK Councils to Restore Ukrainian Flags

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited London on June 8 to coordinate air defense support with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. During the visit, Zelenskyy urged Reform UK-led local councils to restore Ukrainian flags removed from 24 public buildings, including County Halls in Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk. He warned that such small mistakes could damage a big friendship in a sensitive global climate.

Reform UK and the affected councils defended the removals as part of a neutrality policy to fly only national and local flags, such as the Union Flag and St. George's Cross. Officials in Norfolk and Essex stated the decision did not reflect a change in support for Ukraine, with some characterizing the previous display of foreign flags as virtue signaling. The policy also resulted in the removal of the Progress Pride flag.

Zelenskyy also pressed the UK government to release £2.4 billion in frozen proceeds from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea FC to purchase anti-ballistic missiles from the United States. He revealed that Abramovich had previously served as a go-between for peace talks, though Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine would not cede territory in the Donbas. Additionally, he reiterated Ukraine's ambitions to join NATO and expressed intent to invite King Charles III for a state visit later this year.