London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

King Charles says he is determined to return to Ukraine ‘before I get too old’

King Charles says he is determined to return to Ukraine ‘before I get too old’

The monarch was speaking as he officially opened the new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Headquarters

King Charles has revealed that he is determined to visit Ukraine “before I get too old”.

In a show of support for the country which has just marked one year since the Russian invasion, he said: “I must go again before I get too old. I would like the chance to see Ukraine again.”

The monarch was speaking as he officially opened the new European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Headquarters at London’s Canary Wharf.

The EBRD was established in 1991 at the end of the Cold War to build open market economies and promote private enterprise in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Their work now focuses on the green economy and digitalisation, investing more than £160 billion in projects in 36 economises across three countries.

After receiving a rousing welcome from hundreds of cheering staff, the king toured the building and was introduced to a charitable project being run by staff called ‘Kids and Art for Ukraine’.

Charles on the visit


He was given a landscape picture painted by Sofia Franchuk, a 16-year old living in the historic town of Tarashcha, around 120 kilometres of Kyiv, of the idyllic rural scene she sees from her window.

She has continued to attend art school and paint despite blackouts and lack of heating and based her picture on the ‘warm summer and peace’ that she hopes will come to Ukraine soon.

The king was genuinely touched by the gesture and asked to be given her address so he could personally write to her.

The project, which is supported by the ERD’s Community Initiative Programme, aims to help children affected by the war and offer psychological and therapeutic relief, raising more than £22,000 so far by selling the children’s paintings, with the bank matching donations.

Co-founder Olga Evans, a Ukrainian-born portfolio manager EBRD, said: “It was such an honour. The King seemed so pleased. He said he wanted to visit Ukraine before he got too old. We hope there will be peace soon so that he can. He wants to come to our country.”

The King toured some of the bank’s new offices, a 26-storey skyscraper which is one of the most environmentally advanced buildings in the UK and uses 100 per cent green power.

And he sat down for a meeting with many of the bank’s Ukrainian and Turkish staff who spoke to him emotionally about their experiences of conflict and the recent earthquake.

Jurgen Rigterink, first vice president on the bank, told the king that the bank was the leading international financial institution responding to both tragedies.

Before he left the king signed a visitors’ book - as well as viewing his signature from when he opened their previous premises 30 years ago - and unveiled a plaque.

As well as shaking hands with dozens more staff, he also undertook an impromptu walkabout in the street after several hundred members of the public stopped to catch a glimpse of him.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
×