King Charles and Queen Camilla express ‘deepest admiration’ for ‘unbreakable courage’ of Ukrainians
In a letter to mark the country’s Independence Day, King Charles and Queen Camilla have expressed their “deepest admiration for the unbreakable courage of the Ukrainian people”.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have expressed their “deepest admiration for the unbreakable courage of the Ukrainian people” in a letter to mark the country’s Independence Day.
The pair’s note was shared publicly by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (24.08.25), with Charles, 76, and Camilla, 78, addressing it directly to the nation’s leader.
Their letter was then posted by the Ukrainian president on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a note of thanks.
Zelensky wrote: “I am grateful to His Majesty King Charles III @RoyalFamily for his cordial wishes to all Ukrainians on our Independence Day. His Majesty’s kind words are a true inspiration for our people during the difficult time of war. We appreciate the United Kingdom’s leadership in supporting Ukraine and our just cause: to defend freedom from tyranny and ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine and throughout Europe.”
In the letter, Charles said: “Dear Mr President! My wife and I sincerely congratulate you and the people of Ukraine on the occasion of Independence Day. I keep feeling the greatest and deepest admiration for the unbreakable courage and spirit of the Ukrainian people. I remain hopeful that our countries will be able to further work closely together to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“My wife and I are delighted to extend our warmest and most sincere wishes to you and all Ukrainians for the coming year. King Charles III.”
Zelensky also published Independence Day greetings sent by other leaders, including Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish prime minister, Karin Keller-Sutter, the Swiss president, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney travelled to Kyiv on Sunday, writing on X: “On this Ukrainian Independence Day, and at this critical moment in their nation’s history, Canada is stepping up our support and our efforts towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”
In London, the UK government confirmed that Ukrainian flags would be flown above Downing Street. Defence secretary John Healey said: “We will continue to step up our support alongside allies, so that Ukraine can defend today and deter tomorrow.
“In the face of ongoing Russian attacks, we must put Ukraine’s armed forces in the strongest possible position. And as the push for peace continues, we must make the Ukrainians into the strongest possible deterrent to secure that future peace.”
The Ministry of Defence announced Operation Interflex – the codename for the British military training programme for Ukrainian troops – will be extended until the end of 2026.
Its scheme has prepared tens of thousands of recruits for combat since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Despite the celebrations marking Ukraine’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, Russian officials reported a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday (24.08.25) had caused a fire at a nuclear power plant in the Kursk region.
An account for the plant on Telegram said a transformer was damaged but radiation levels were normal and there were no casualties.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly urged both sides to exercise restraint around nuclear facilities.
Diplomatic efforts also continued this month.
On 15 August, US president Donald Trump met Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump later said: “I’m going to make a decision as to what we do and it’s going to be, it’s going to be a very important decision, and that’s whether or not it’s massive sanctions or massive tariffs or both, or we do nothing and say it’s your fight.”
Zelensky has called for an unconditional ceasefire but accused Moscow of blocking any direct talks with Putin.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov responded by saying Putin was prepared to meet Zelensky “when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all”.
