Prince Harry's Ukraine Visit and Call for US Leadership Prompt Reactions from Trump and Russian Commentators

Apr 24, 2026, 15:47

Introduction

Prince Harry made an unexpected visit to Ukraine, his third since the Russian invasion began in 2022, to support the Halo Trust's landmine removal work. During the trip, he gave a speech at the Kyiv Security Forum calling on American leaders to keep their promises under international treaties regarding Ukraine's independence. The remarks led to a response from US President Donald Trump, who said that Harry does not speak for the United Kingdom, and also drew criticism from Russian state media commentators.

Main Body

The Duke of Sussex went to the city of Bucha, where he walked through a path in a minefield and tried out advanced equipment for removing mines, such as AI-powered drones and a robot dog used to find and remove unexploded bombs. He said that the work to clear mines would probably continue for 20 to 40 years. Harry compared his visit to his mother Princess Diana's 1997 landmine campaign in Angola, stressing that such humanitarian work is still needed. At the Kyiv Security Forum, Harry said he was speaking as a former soldier and humanitarian, not as a politician. He called on President Putin to stop the war, arguing that no country gains from more deaths. He also spoke directly to the United States, without naming President Trump, and urged American leaders to keep their treaty promises – especially the guarantees made when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. He described the war as a fight over values and national independence, and strongly criticized documented war crimes such as the forced removal of children. President Trump answered reporters' questions about Harry's speech by saying that the Duke of Sussex 'is not speaking for the UK' and that he himself represents the UK more than Harry does. Trump added that he appreciated the advice and asked about Harry's wife. The president also mentioned that the upcoming state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which was set to start the next Monday, could improve relations between the US and UK, which had been damaged by disagreements over Iran. Russian state TV commentator Vladimir Solovyov criticized Harry, referring to an incident in 2005 when the prince wore a Nazi costume. Solovyov called Harry a 'clown' and accused him of supporting 'Nazi brothers' in Ukraine. Ukrainian political commentator Oleh Soskin also disagreed, saying that Harry's involvement had made Trump angry and was harmful for Ukraine. Harry had apologized before for the 2005 costume, calling it one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Conclusion

Prince Harry's visit to Ukraine and his public requests for international action have produced a variety of reactions: support from humanitarian groups, rejection from the US president, and criticism from Russian state media. This event takes place just before a planned state visit by King Charles III to the United States, which President Trump has said could help improve US-UK relations.

Vocabulary Learning

criticism (n.)

disapproval / the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults批評；指責

Example:The remarks drew criticism from Russian state media commentators.

guarantees (n.)

promises / formal assurances that something will be done保證；擔保

Example:He urged American leaders to keep their treaty promises – especially the guarantees made when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons.

humanitarian (adj.)

charitable / concerned with improving people's lives and reducing suffering人道主義的

Example:He stressed that such humanitarian work is still needed.

incident (n.)

event / an event or occurrence, especially one that is unusual or unpleasant事件；事故

Example:Solovyov criticized Harry, referring to an incident in 2005 when the prince wore a Nazi costume.

rejection (n.)

refusal / the act of refusing to accept, consider, or use something拒絕；否決

Example:Prince Harry's visit produced a variety of reactions: support from humanitarian groups, rejection from the US president, and criticism from Russian state media.

Sentence Learning

Relative clause with 'where' and passive voice This sentence uses a relative clause introduced by 'where' to give additional information about the location. It also uses the passive voice 'used to find' to describe the purpose of the robot dog without specifying who uses it.關係從句和'where'及被動語態這個句子使用由'where'引導的關係從句來提供關於地點的額外信息。它還使用被動語態'used to find'來描述機械狗的目的，而不指明使用者。

Harry compared his visit to his mother Princess Diana's 1997 landmine campaign in Angola, stressing that such humanitarian work is still needed.

Participle phrase and passive voice The participle phrase 'stressing that...' adds a reason or manner to the main action. The passive voice 'is still needed' emphasizes the necessity of humanitarian work without stating who needs it.分詞短語和被動語態分詞短語'stressing that...'為主動作添加原因或方式。被動語態'is still needed'強調人道主義工作的必要性，而不說明誰需要它。

The president also mentioned that the upcoming state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which was set to start the next Monday, could improve relations between the US and UK, which had been damaged by disagreements over Iran.

Two relative clauses and passive voice This sentence contains two relative clauses: 'which was set to start' and 'which had been damaged'. The first gives details about the state visit; the second explains the cause of damaged relations using passive voice to focus on the result rather than the actor.兩個關係從句和被動語態這個句子包含兩個關係從句：'which was set to start'和'which had been damaged'。第一個提供關於國事訪問的細節；第二個使用被動語態解釋關係受損的原因，重點放在結果而非行為者。

Russian state TV commentator Vladimir Solovyov criticized Harry, referring to an incident in 2005 when the prince wore a Nazi costume.

Relative clause with 'when' The relative clause 'when the prince wore a Nazi costume' specifies the time of the incident. It provides background information that clarifies the criticism.關係從句和'when' 關係從句'when the prince wore a Nazi costume'指定了事件的時間。它提供了背景信息，澄清了批評的依據。

This event takes place just before a planned state visit by King Charles III to the United States, which President Trump has said could help improve US-UK relations.

Relative clause with 'which' The relative clause 'which President Trump has said could help improve US-UK relations' adds a comment about the state visit. It uses reported speech within the clause to attribute the opinion to Trump.關係從句和'which' 關係從句'which President Trump has said could help improve US-UK relations'對國事訪問添加了評論。它在從句中使用間接引語，將觀點歸於特朗普。