Top Western officials, Prince Harry arrive in Kyiv to reaffirm Ukraine support PHOTO

A high-level show of support for Ukraine unfolded in Kyiv on September 12 as Polish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, and Prince Harry all arrived in the capital against the backdrop of intensified Russian attacks and provocations against NATO member states.

Sikorski’s visit came just days after the largest Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace during a mass strike on Ukraine, which Warsaw denounced as a “deliberately targeted” provocation, Caliber.Az writes. 

Witaj @andrii_sybiha! pic.twitter.com/UEWp8QAjrE

— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) September 12, 2025

“We will hold substantial talks today about our shared security, Ukraine’s EU and NATO accession, and pressure on Moscow,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, confirming he had welcomed Sikorski and American journalist Anne Applebaum at the Kyiv train station. “Against the backdrop of Russia’s escalation of terror against Ukraine and provocations against Poland, we stand firmly together.”

Welcome to Kyiv, Radek!

I was glad to meet @sikorskiradek and @anneapplebaum at the Kyiv train station this morning.

Against the backdrop of Russia’s escalation of terror against Ukraine and provocations against Poland, we stand firmly together.

We will hold substantial talks… pic.twitter.com/k5gRYqoeSN

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 12, 2025

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also arrived in Kyiv on September 12, greeted by Sybiha and Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. Cooper is scheduled to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior officials, where she will reaffirm the UK’s long-term commitment to Ukraine’s defence.

“Ukraine's security is crucial to the UK's security,” Cooper said in a statement, announcing that London would provide an additional £100 million in humanitarian aid for frontline communities and £42 million to repair and protect critical energy systems damaged by Russian strikes. The package forms part of a wider aid programme pledged in June.

Her visit follows Britain’s September 10 announcement that it will mass produce Ukrainian-designed interceptor drones to counter Russian missile and drone attacks, a step hailed as a cornerstone of UK-Ukraine defence co-production.

Moreover, Prince Harry made an unannounced trip to Kyiv at the invitation of the Ukrainian government, underscoring his personal commitment to helping the country’s war-wounded. Accompanied by his Invictus Games Foundation team, the Duke of Sussex will unveil new initiatives to support the rehabilitation of injured service members and meet with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.

Speaking to the Guardian during an overnight train ride to the capital, Harry said: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process. We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through. We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”

The prince explained that he was first invited to Ukraine by Olga Rudnieva, the founder and CEO of the Superhumans Trauma Centre in Lviv, which treats wounded amputees. After visiting the facility in April, he reconnected with Rudnieva in the United States earlier this summer, leading to the current visit.

By Sabina Mammadli