Duchess of Edinburgh meets with Zelenskyy in Kyiv, visits Irpin
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska met yesterday in Kyiv with HRH Duchess Sophie of Edinburgh, wife of Prince Edward, brother of the British monarch King Charles III.
As reported on the website of the head of the Ukrainian state on Tuesday, this is the first visit of a member of the British royal family to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
"We greatly appreciate the support of the people of the UK, in particular, we are grateful for sheltering our refugees since the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion. We are also very grateful for all the military assistance packages from your government and prime ministers. This is extremely important for our military," Zelenskyy emphasized during the meeting.
Zelenska expressed gratitude to the guest for fighting against wartime sexual violence, noted the UK's assistance in organizing a national judicial investigation of Russian war crimes and participation in the Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children held captive by the aggressor state of Russia.
The Duchess of Edinburgh also visited the city of Irpin, Kyiv region, as reported by mayor of the city Oleksandr Markushin. "Despite the continuous threat of Russian shelling, the Duchess of Edinburgh personally came to Ukraine and immediately visited Irpin. She was interested in the details of the evacuation and the heroic struggle of Irpin residents for their town," he wrote on Telegram.
According to the mayor, the visit was being prepared in secret and was very unexpected. "I thank Her Royal Highness Sophie Helen for her support of Ukraine and the courage to express it personally," Markushin wrote.
