Prince Harry makes surprise appearance at Kyiv Security Forum as EU gives Ukraine $147 billion funding boost
Updated ,first published
London: Ukraine has secured a $147 billion funding boost to turn back Russian forces following a stalemate over European financial support after Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kiev and called on American leadership to end the war.
The new funding comes as Ukrainian leaders toughen their messaging on potential ceasefire terms, with presidential adviser Kyrylo Budanov saying the country would not give up “even a single millimeter” of its territory.
Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov claimed this week that Russia had covered 1,700 square kilometers of territory during this year’s fighting, but expert observers denied that estimate and said Ukraine had inflicted significant damage on its enemy.
Harry arrived in Ukraine’s capital without public notice to speak at the Kiev Security Forum, where he said he was speaking as a former soldier rather than a political figure.
In his message to US President Donald Trump and other American leaders, Harry said that this was part of the assurance given to Ukraine about its security when the US gave up its nuclear weapons after the Cold War, leaving Ukraine exposed to Russian aggression today.
“This is a moment for American leadership. A moment for America to show that it can fulfill its international treaty obligations,” he said. “Not for the sake of philanthropy, but for its enduring role in global security and strategic stability.”
Trump rejected the call and issued a tentative statement about the prince’s wife, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. “Prince Harry? How is his wife? Please give her my regards,” he said.
“Prince Harry does not speak for the United Kingdom, that’s for sure,” Trump said. “I think I speak more for the United Kingdom than for Prince Harry.”
The prince has visited Ukraine several times, including visiting medical facilities such as the Superhumans center in Lviv, where soldiers are fitted with prosthetic limbs, given his work on the Invictus Games for disabled soldiers.
In a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the prince said there was “still a moment” to stop the war now and choose a different path.
Russia claims success in the war and was temporarily relieved of US sanctions on oil exports in a controversial decision taken by the Trump administration last week.
“A total of 80 settlements and more than 1,700 square kilometers of territory have come under our control since the beginning of this year,” Russian forces chief of staff Valery Gerasimov said in comments reported by Reuters on Tuesday.
The Institute for the Study of War, an independent nonprofit group, dismissed Gerasimov’s claim as “grossly exaggerated” and said Gerasimov was probably trying to hide Russia’s lack of progress.
A report published by the institute early last month He said Russia occupied 19.4 percent of Ukrainian territory, compared to 26.8 percent shortly after the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“Ukrainian subsequent counter-offensives resulted in the Russians holding only 17.9 percent of Ukraine in November of that year,” the institute said of the situation in 2022.
“Since then, Russia has captured only 1.5 percent of Ukrainian territory while suffering a total of over 1 million casualties.
“Russia needed 3.5 years to capture 9,318 square kilometers, an area smaller than Lebanon or Los Angeles County.”
The European Union reached a formal agreement with Cyprus on Thursday (late Wednesday, AEST) to lend the country 90 billion euros (about $147 billion), ending a months-long dispute over financing for Ukraine.
The financing package was agreed last year but was blocked by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban under rules requiring consensus among leaders.
The election of Hungary’s new prime minister, Peter Magyar, paved the way for the release of funds, helped by Ukraine’s decision to restart the flow of oil from Russia to Hungary through a pipeline passing through its territory.
“We have secured Ukraine’s financial resilience for two years,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the official decision.
EU leaders hailed the funding deal as a sign of unity against Russia, while French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of a “more sovereign Europe” and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned that peace would not come from compromise with the aggressor.
“We will provide Ukraine with what it needs to hold its own until Putin realizes that his war is going nowhere,” EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said.
Trump attempted to negotiate a peace agreement with Putin, but talks continued without significant progress on Russia’s claims to large swaths of Ukrainian territory.
Budanov, one of Zelensky’s senior aides at the head of the presidential office, said that the negotiation process was sensitive and could not be disclosed, but stated that no concessions were made on the land issue.
“There will be no acceptance of losing even a millimeter of our territory in Ukraine,” he said in his speech at the Kiev Security Forum.
Get notes directly from our foreign correspondents on events making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What’s on in the World Newsletter.
David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
