Ukraine war anniversary: King pays tribute to ‘remarkable courage and resilience’ of Ukrainians

King Charles has paid tribute to the Ukrainian people, whose lives are still enmeshed in conflict one year after the Russian invasion.
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The King has paid tribute to people of Ukraine on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, and hopes the outpouring of solidarity with the nation would bring them strength in the knowledge “we stand united”.

Friday marks one year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian military was thought to vastly outrank that of Ukraine’s, and experts predicted Russia would overpower its neighbour within a matter of weeks.

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But Ukrainian forces - with far-reaching support from much of the global community - have held their own. King Charles has paid tribute to the “remarkable courage and resilience” of Ukraine’s people, still enmeshed in the conflict 12 months later.

Earlier this week, the British monarch met Ukrainian recruits being trained by UK and international forces, and also met with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace this month, during a surprise visit to the UK.

 King Charles met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace during his surprise visit to the UK this month  (Photo by Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty Images). King Charles met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace during his surprise visit to the UK this month  (Photo by Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty Images).
King Charles met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace during his surprise visit to the UK this month (Photo by Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty Images).

In a message to mark one year on from the start of the conflict, the King said: “It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation. They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy.

“The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians, many of whom I have had the great pleasure of meeting here in the UK and, indeed, across the world, from Romania to Canada,” Charles said.

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Of his meeting with Zelensky, he said: “Earlier this month I met President Zelensky at Buckingham Palace to express my personal support for the people of Ukraine. It is heartening that the United Kingdom, along with its allies, is doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time.

“Therefore, I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united,” the King said.

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