LONDON — Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Friday to show support for wounded service members. His representatives confirmed his presence in the capital, Kyiv, but did not disclose details of his schedule for security reasons. This marks Harry's second trip to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. He previously visited the western city of Lviv in April.

During his journey, Harry stated, "We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process," while traveling on an overnight train to Kyiv. As a British Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, Harry is the founder of the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition aimed at inspiring military veterans worldwide as they recover from injuries sustained in combat. Ukraine is currently bidding to host the Invictus Games in 2029.

In addition to his visit, the Archewell Foundation, established by Harry and his wife Meghan, announced a donation of $500,000 to support projects for injured children in Gaza and Ukraine. The funds will assist the World Health Organization with medical evacuations and help develop prosthetics for severely injured youth.

Harry's itinerary includes a visit to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, spending time with 200 veterans, and meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. His visit coincides with a trip to Ukraine by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who announced new U.K. sanctions targeting Russia's oil revenues and military supplies. Cooper emphasized that the visit demonstrates solidarity with Ukrainians facing intensified assaults from Russia, which included 6,500 drones and missiles in July, a tenfold increase from the previous year.

This visit follows a four-day trip to the U.K., where Harry met his father, King Charles III, for the first time in 19 months. This meeting was viewed as a potential step toward mending the strained relations between Harry and the royal family, which have been tense since he and Meghan stepped back from royal duties and relocated to California in 2020. Their last meeting occurred in February 2024, shortly after Harry learned of Charles's cancer diagnosis.

Harry's previous trip to Ukraine included a visit to the Superhumans Center, an orthopedic clinic in Lviv that provides free treatment, including prosthetic limbs and psychological support, to wounded military personnel and civilians. His current visit comes amid escalating conflict, just days after Russia's largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the invasion began over three years ago, which struck the main Ukrainian government building. It also follows reports of Russian drones entering the airspace of NATO member Poland, which Harry traveled through to reach Ukraine.