Prince Harry makes surprise visit to Ukraine
“I bumped into Olha in New York,” he told The Guardian. It was a chance meeting and I asked her what I could do to help. She said ‘the biggest impact you have is coming to Kyiv’. I had to check with my wife and the British government to make sure it was OK. Then the official invitation came.”
The trip comes at the end of Harry’s four-day visit to Britain from his home in California, where he lives with his wife and their two children.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also arrived in Ukraine, after her move into the portfolio last weekend, and so did Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, days after a NATO emergency in response to Russian drones in Polish airspace.
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Britain launched a new package of Russia-related sanctions on Friday, targeting ships carrying Russian oil, as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to make Russian weapons.
The package was a response to recent Russian aggression, the British government said, referring to the higher numbers of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent months, and the violation of NATO airspace over Poland.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, one of the European leaders who is closest to US President Donald Trump, visited Kyiv on Thursday, where he called for an increase in pressure on Russia and its war economy.
“Unfortunately, process towards peace has not progressed,” Stubb said on X. “As the last few days have shown, Russia is not coming to the negotiating table.”
Trump’s special envoy on the war, Keith Kellogg, arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
While there was no announcement of any US action, Zelensky said he asked for more “co-production” of drones and weapons with the US, as well as financing the production and procurement of Patriot missile defence systems.
“We discussed various vectors of co-operation – how to achieve real peace and guarantee Ukraine’s security,” he said.
Trump was critical of Russia for flying drones into Polish airspace.
“It could have been a mistake, but regardless, I’m not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation,” he told reporters. “But hopefully it’s going to come to an end.”
With Reuters
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