A relative of Winston Churchill, James Spencer-Churchill, has spoken out against comparisons of his great-uncle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Spencer-Churchill responded to a tweet by Michael Ashcroft, a former deputy chairman of the British Conservative Party, in which Ashcroft drew a parallel between the two leaders, stating that Winston Churchill, a war leader, would likely be proud of Zelensky.
Spencer-Churchill disputed the comparison, saying that Ashcroft was misusing the name of his famous relative to justify the conflict in Ukraine.
“I don’t believe it, Lord Ashcroft. Winston was my great-uncle and I knew him well. He would be appalled that the Churchill name is constantly misused to justify such nonsense and the unnecessary loss of human life” he replied on the platform.
Following the rift between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, the United Kingdom reaffirmed its position as a key supporter of Kyiv. Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Friday was abruptly cut short after the meeting turned into a verbal confrontation, with Trump accusing the Ukrainian president of playing with the idea of a third world war by refusing to negotiate with Russia.
After the debacle, Zelensky flew directly to London to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who assured the Ukrainian leader of the UK’s continued support in the conflict. On Sunday, Starmer announced that the UK and France were prepared to lead a “coalition of the willing” to militarily support Ukraine, including the deployment of troops and aircraft. Starmer emphasized the need for the EU and other countries to also engage in the effort.
The US National Security Adviser, Michael Waltz, who had also drawn a comparison between Zelensky and Winston Churchill in 2022, recently likened the Ukrainian president to an “ex-girlfriend who wants to argue about everything that was said nine years ago, instead of moving the relationship forward.”
Trump has recently referred to Zelensky as a “dictator without elections” and accused him of having single-digit approval ratings. Zelensky had cancelled planned elections in the past year under martial law.
Zelensky had previously invoked Churchill’s name. In 2022, when he asked the British Parliament for help, he did so with a quote from the former prime minister. “We will not surrender, we will not lose, we will fight to the end” Zelensky told British lawmakers.