Britain's Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Thursday, arriving by overnight train from Poland and issuing a stark plea to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

The Duke of Sussex stepped off the train at Kyiv's central railway station around 8 a.m. local time, greeting well-wishers on the platform before heading to the Kyiv Security Forum, where he delivered a keynote address to world leaders and military officials. In his speech, Harry directly addressed Putin, stating, "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."

Harry accused Russian forces of committing "systematic war crimes" in occupied territories, including mass killings, torture, sexual violence, and the forced deportation of children, which he described as potentially constituting genocide under international law. He emphasized that these acts were "organised, systematic, intentional, and designed to endure long after the fighting stops."

The prince also called on the United States to step up its support, noting America's assurances to Ukraine after its denuclearization in the 1990s. "The United States has a singular role in this story," he said. "This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America to show that it can honour its international treaty obligations not out of charity, but out of its enduring role in global security and strategic stability."

Positioning himself not as a politician but as a former soldier and humanitarian, Harry praised Ukraine's resilience. "You have adapted, you have endured. And you have held the line. Few believed that would be possible. And yet here you are still standing, still fighting, still leading," he told the audience. He described the conflict as "not simply a war about territory. It is a war about values, about sovereignty, about whether the principles that underpin our shared democracy still hold meaning."

This marks Harry's third trip to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Previous visits included one to Lviv in April 2025 to tour a rehabilitation clinic and another to Kyiv in September 2025, where he met veterans and viewed war damage. The visit aligns with his Invictus Games Foundation's efforts to support wounded service members and includes plans to observe de-mining work by The Halo Trust, a charity once backed by his late mother, Princess Diana.

Harry told reporters upon arrival, "It’s good to be back in Ukraine, a country bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank. It matters that we don’t lose sight of the significance of that." He added that he aimed "to remind people back home and around the world what Ukraine is up against and to support the people and partners doing extraordinary work every hour of every day in incredibly tough conditions."

The trip comes amid ongoing Russian attacks and as international attention shifts to other global conflicts, with the forum proceeding despite recent strikes on the capital.