Prince William praises declares: ‘You are the future of Ukraine’

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Prince William praised the resilience of young Ukrainians after meeting refugees at a food hall in Poland. The country has taken in around two million refugees from across the border – and the heir to the throne was keen to meet the brave people building new lives there, as well as those welcoming them.

On the second day of his surprise trip to Poland in support of the Ukraine war support effort, William visited the Hala Koszyki Food Hall, in Warsaw.

The Prince of Wales spoke for 45 minutes with 11 Ukrainians and two Poles about their experiences.

He said: “It must be very difficult to start an entire new life in a new country. It’s amazing how resilient you are. That shines out.”

He asked: “Will any of you stay here or do you all want to go back?”, before telling them: “You are the future of Ukraine.”

The young people, mostly students, said they hoped to return.

Yelyzaveta Tupotina, 21, a student power engineer from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, said: “We want to go back – but it is difficult to predict when it will be possible.” And she joined others in recounting to William how she fled after the February 2022 invasion.

At the time, she was studying in capital Kyiv, and told how women and children were crammed into train carriages for evacuation, as the Russians advanced towards the city.

Oleksandra Volkova, 22, a tourism and recreation student who also works for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, left her parents in Kyiv.

She recalled: “My father said: ‘I am Ukrainian, I must stay and defend my country.’

“Poland is a good country. But I miss my family. I miss my country.”

She said afterwards: “It was really stressful talking to him because he is a Prince. But of course I’m also really happy I got the chance to speak to him. I am grateful he came.”

The Prince of Wales, dressed in a shirt and casual jumper, asked each person about the challenges of finding shelter in a new country – and met Poles who volunteered to help with the evacuation, including Mateusz Mielczarek, whose welcomed refugees at railway stations.

Mateusz backed William’s visit, commenting: “It is a sign of support for Ukraine and for Poland.” The Prince, 40, was mobbed outside the venue by Poles, who came to thank him for visiting their country.

Earlier, three friends were excited to meet him after bonding with each other online through a shared love of the Royal Family. Marta Zegarek, 26, Agate Beitosiek, 22, and Olga Mieszejewska-Buchalik, 26, had travelled for three hours by train from south Poland.

The delighted trio, who brought a sign with them, gave William some white carnations.

Marta said it was a “dream come true”, adding: “We’ve been following Prince William, his work and the Royal Family for 13 years.

“We were here in Warsaw in 2017 when he and Princess Catherine were here, but many people were there, we couldn’t shake his hand.

“He was very handsome, very kind, very nice and very interested in why we were here.”

Olga added: “I also said that we really appreciated his support for our nation and Ukraine.”

Source: Read Full Article