President Donald Trump took a swipe at Prince Harry on Thursday after the Duke of Sussex called for American leadership to help end the war in Ukraine. During an unannounced visit to Kyiv the previous day, the younger son of King Charles addressed the ongoing conflict at the Kyiv Security Forum and urged both the United States and Russia to do more to negotiate peace.
“I am not here as a politician. I am here as a soldier who understands service, as a humanitarian who has seen the human cost of conflict, and as a friend of Ukraine who believes the world must not grow used to this war or numb to its consequences,” the prince said in his speech, according to ITV News. He also invoked his 10 years of service in the British Army, from 2005 to 2015.
Harry then addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin directly, urging him to halt the fighting. “President Putin, no nation benefits from the continued loss of life we are witnessing. There is still a moment now to stop this war, to prevent further suffering for Ukrainians and Russians alike, and to choose a different course,” said Harry, 41.
Harry also called on the Trump administration to honor its commitments to Ukraine, invoking the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. He noted that when Ukraine agreed to surrender the Soviet-era nuclear weapons stored on its territory after the collapse of the USSR, the U.S., Russia and the United Kingdom pledged to protect Ukraine’s borders and its sovereignty.
“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 enduring role in global security and strategic stability.”
The remarks came days before King Charles III and Queen Camilla are scheduled to make a state visit to the United States from April 27 to April 30 — the first state visit by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II was hosted by President George W. Bush in May 2007. The visit marks the 250th anniversary of American independence and is intended to “celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States,” Buckingham Palace said.
When a reporter at the White House asked Trump about the prince’s remarks on Thursday, the president was dismissive. “How’s he doing? How’s his wife? Please give her my regards,” Trump quipped, drawing laughter from reporters in the room.
“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 [he is]. But I appreciate his advice very much,” Trump said.