Kyiv — Prince Harry, the younger son of Britain’s King Charles, made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Thursday to show support for a country he said is “bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank.” Speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum, he contrasted Europe’s response with U.S. leadership and urged Washington to act more decisively.
“The United States has a singular role in this story not only because of its power but because when Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons, America was part of the assurance that Ukraine’s sovereignty and borders would be respected,” Harry said. “This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America to show that it can honor its international treaty obligations, not out of charity but out of its own enduring role in global security and strategic stability.”
Asked at the White House about Harry’s remarks, President Trump responded with a personal greeting and a jab: “How’s he doing? How’s his wife? Please give her my regards. I know one thing, Prince Harry is not speaking for the U.K., that’s for sure. I think I am speaking for the U.K. more than Prince Harry.”
Harry praised European support for Ukraine but warned more and faster assistance is needed. “Europe has stood up in profound ways. And that support has mattered, and Ukraine knows it,” he said. “The task now is to match endurance with speed.”
He framed the conflict as an ideological battle between liberal democracies and authoritarian foes and highlighted Russia’s forcible deportations of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. “Under international law, this forcible transfer of children from one national group to another is not just a war crime. It can constitute an act of genocide. When carried out with intent to destroy a people’s identity,” he said.
This marked Harry’s third trip to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. After his address he planned visits with Ukrainian participants in his Invictus Games Foundation and to the Halo Trust charity, which his late mother, Princess Diana, supported. His visit follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning that shifting global attention to the Middle East risks delaying efforts to end the war in Ukraine.