King Charles III pays heartfelt tribute to mark one year since Ukraine and Russia conflict

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022

King Charles attends the "A Starry Night In The Nilgiri Hills" event
(Image credit: WPA Pool / Getty)

It has been one year since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, on February 24 2022, and is still ongoing. 

King Charles III has spoken out one-year on from the heartbreaking war, in which he praised those in Ukraine for their "courage and resilience". 

On the official Royal UK website, the 74-year-old royal's message read: "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 U.K. and, indeed, across the world, from Romania to Canada."

Charles went on to share his encounter with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which he aired his gratitude and support to him. 

Charles continued: "Earlier this month I met President Zelenskyy 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."

Charles concluded his message by sharing his hopes Ukraine will continue to be flooded with support and aid. 

He added: "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."

Charles' message comes as Zelenskyy commemorated those who have fought to protect their country in a video titled "The year of invincibility". 

He went on to share he is determined to defeat Russia this year. 

He said: "A year ago on this day, from this same place around seven in the morning, I addressed you with a brief statement, lasting only 67 seconds.

“We are strong. We are ready for anything. We will defeat everyone. This is how it began on February 24, 2022. The longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our recent history. We woke up early and haven’t slept since.” 

There are a number of ways to support Ukraine amid the war.

Maisie Bovingdon

Maisie is a writer and editor, covering Royal News, Showbiz, Lifestyle content, as well as Shopping Writing and E-Commerce, for print and digital publications, including Marie Claire, Hello!, Fabulous, Mail Online and Yahoo!.