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Donald Trump has said Prince Harry no longer ‘speaks for the UK’ after the royal called for ‘American leadership’.
Harry did not mention Trump by name during his surprise visit to the Kyiv Security Forum yesterday.
But when reporters asked about the remarks during a White House briefing, Trump said: ‘Prince Harry? How’s he doing? How’s his wife? Please give her my regards.
‘I know one thing, Prince Harry is not speaking for the UK, that’s for sure.
‘I think I am speaking for the UK more than Prince Harry. But I appreciate his advice very much.’
Harry called on Washington to honour its obligation in Russia’s war against Ukraine, which Trump vowed to stop on ‘day one’ of his re-election.
The Duke of Sussex said: ‘This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America to show that it can honour its international treaty obligations, not out of charity but out of its own enduring role in global security and strategic stability.
‘Europe has stood up in profound ways. And that support has mattered, and Ukraine knows it. The task now is to match endurance with speed.’
Russia has abducted around 20,000 Ukrainian children during the conflict, according to Kyiv officials and monitoring groups. Some end up forcibly fostered and adopted, actions Harry said amounted to a ‘genocide’.
While he has long shown an adoration for the British royal family, Trump has shown little interest in Harry and his wife, Megan Markle.
The Duke and Duchess moved to Montecito, California, after stepping back from official duties in 2020, amid a growing rift with the royal family.
Trump did not answer when asked whether he would invite Harry to dinner during next week’s state visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The Republican leader said: ‘He’s a friend of mine. We’re really looking forward to it. We’ve spoken and we’re going to have a great time.’
Charles is the first British monarch to visit the US since Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.
He and Camilla will to meet Trump at the White House during their four-day visit across the pond next Monday.
They will dine with the president and First Lady Melania Trump before sitting at a joint meeting of Congress.
Trump has insisted that the trip could ‘absolutely’ heal relations between the US and the UK, which have become strained amid the president’s controversial war against Iran.
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