Harry makes surprise visit to Ukraine to ‘remind the world’ about the war

The Duke of Sussex has made a surprise visit to Ukraine to “remind people back home and around the world” of the country’s war with Russia.

Harry was filmed by ITV News arriving at Kyiv railway station on Thursday morning, stepping off an overnight train from Poland and greeting and hugging people on the platform.

“It’s good to be back in Ukraine, a country bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank,” Harry also told The Sun newspaper.

He added: “It matters that we don’t lose sight of the significance of that.”

The duke said he wanted “to remind people back home and around the world what Ukraine is up against and to support the people and partners doing extraordinary work every hour of every day in incredibly tough conditions”.

As he prepares to speak at the Kyiv Security Forum, which takes place on Thursday and Friday, he said his message to Ukrainians is that “the world sees you and respects you”.

Harry will say the world must not become “numb” to the war, or any other conflict, in his speech in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday.

“This is a war about values, not just territory,” he will say.

In the speech, the duke is expected to frame Ukraine as “the front line of democracy itself” and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for “systematic and intentional” war crimes.

The unannounced visit – his third trip to Ukraine since the war began in 2022 – comes days after the duke finished a tour of Australia with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry stopped in the UK on his journey to Ukraine, but only to transit through and he did not leave airside.

His trip comes just four days before his father the King begins a major state visit to America to see US President Donald Trump.