Sir Richard Branson highlights Ukraine conflict at mosaic unveiling
The original mosaic was significantly damaged in Russia's invasion of the port city in 2022.
Sir Richard became the first donor to the Usyk Foundation to fund housing for displaced Ukrainian families.
It is aiming to raise £2.5 million to build four apartment buildings to provide new homes for 64 families.
The two men also launched a new campaign – Ukraine: Defending Freedom – to help some of the 80,000 people in Ukraine needing a prosthetic limb as a result of the war.
As part of this, the nearby Florence Nightingale statue has been transformed, with her lamp replaced by a prosthetic leg painted in the Ukrainian colours.
Sir Richard, Virgin Group and Virgin Unite founder, said: 'Ukraine's fight is not just for its own future, but for the ideals of freedom and democracy everywhere.
'Since Russia's invasion, the Ukrainian people have paid a terrible price. They've sacrificed their limbs, homes and lives.
'Putin's war must end, and on terms acceptable to Ukraine. Until that day comes, we all have a role to play in rebuilding what has been destroyed.
'It's easy, from a distance, to feel fatigue or helplessness. But we cannot look away. Freedom is never free, and Ukraine is paying the cost on all our behalf.
'Let's keep standing together for Ukraine.'
Usyk said: 'Thank you, Great Britain, for your support of Ukraine. We are stronger together.
'We will rebuild our country, like a mosaic, piece by piece. Today we raise money to help 64 families have a home again.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
12 minutes ago
- Metro
Could Putin be arrested in the US during Trump meeting?
Vladimir Putin is a wanted man. For over two years, the Russian leader has been the focus of an international arrest warrant for war crimes committed in Ukraine. The warrant seeks to haul the 72-year-old before a tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, for allegedly trafficking Ukrainian children from occupied territories into Russia. Putin is arguably the most powerful target of the International Criminal Court in its 21-year history, and the most high-profile leader to be formally accused of war crimes since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi officials. Under the Rome Statute, all countries that are a part of the ICC are supposed to detain all suspects with a warrant if they set foot on their soil. Could Putin's upcoming visit to Alaska for a sit-down with President Donald Trump see him led off in handcuffs? By law, all members of the ICC are required to use arrest warrants issued by the court. But Russia, Israel, and the United States are not a part of the court, meaning they don't have to comply. We won't be seeing Putin in handcuffs after his visit to speak with Trump tomorrow, but in dozens of other countries, he could be arrested. When Putin visited Mongolia in late 2024, the country didn't comply with the arrest orders – claiming its hands were 'tied'. A government spokesperson told Politico that Mongolia is energy dependent on both its major neighbours, Russia and China, making it difficult for them to enact the arrest warrant. Afghanistan Albania Andorra Argentina Australia Austria Barbados Belgium Benin Bolivia Botswana Bulgaria Burkina Faso Cambodia Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Finland Gambia, The Georgia Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guyana Hungary Iceland Jordan Kenya Kiribati Korea, South Latvia Liberia Liechtenstein Malawi Maldives Mali Malta Mauritius Mongolia Namibia Nauru Netherlands North Macedonia Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Serbia Seychelles Slovakia Spain Sweden Tanzania Timor-Leste Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Venezuela Zambia The spokesperson explained: 'Mongolia imports 95% of its petroleum products and over 20% of electricity from our immediate neighbourhood, which has previously suffered interruption for technical reasons. 'Mongolia has always maintained a policy of neutrality in all its diplomatic relations, as demonstrated in our statements of record to date.' Despite its precarious political position, Mongolia is required to act upon the ICC's warrants as a member, and there's a possibility the country could face prosecution for failing to arrest Putin. The EU, Ukraine and international organisations like Amnesty International have previously urged Mongolia to act on its ICC obligations. The US President and Russian President will sit down in the US's most northern state, which has been chosen due to its close proximity to Russia, on August 15. Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump suggested an agreement would involve some exchange of land between Ukraine and Russia. More Trending 'There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,' the Republican president said. A spokesperson for the Kremlin has confirmed the summit. In a video address to the nation posted on his Telegram channel on Saturday, Zelensky said that any decisions without Ukraine would be decisions against peace. Putin, meanwhile, is 'making huge progress militarily' in Ukraine and is able to use the meeting to secure two big objectives – demonstrating to Trump he is 'reasonable' enough to negotiate, and buying time on the battlefield. The US President may have appeared to sharpen his stance against his Russian counterpart in recent weeks, notably hitting India with punitive tariffs for buying Russia's oil. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: The islands where America and Russia are 2 miles and 21 hours apart MORE: Russia 'responsible for hacking highly sensitive US court records' MORE: White House reveals why Zelensky won't be at Trump's one-on-one with Putin
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
North Korean and Russian leaders in call to reaffirm alignment over Ukraine
The call came ahead of Mr Putin's planned meeting with US president Donald Trump in Alaska. During the call on Tuesday, Mr Putin praised the 'bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit' displayed by North Korean troops as they fought with Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Mr Putin also shared with Mr Kim information about his upcoming talks with Mr Trump scheduled to take place on Friday, according to Russia's TASS news agency, citing the Kremlin. Mr Kim told Mr Putin that Pyongyang would fully support 'all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future, too', as they discussed advancing ties in 'all fields' under a strategic partnership agreement they signed during a summit last year, KCNA said. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Mr Kim has made Moscow the priority of his foreign policy as he aims to break out of diplomatic isolation and expand relations with countries confronting Washington. His government has dismissed Washington and Seoul's stated desires to restart diplomacy aimed at defusing the North's nuclear programme, which derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit with Mr Trump during his first term. According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last autumn and also supplied large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, in support of Mr Putin's war efforts against Ukraine. Mr Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia's Kursk region, a deployment South Korean intelligence believes could happen soon.
ITV News
3 hours ago
- ITV News
UK to co-chair talks with European and US leaders over ending war in Ukraine
Pro-Ukraine allies - including the UK and Europe - will meet virtually with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday about ending the war in Ukraine ahead of the US and Russian leaders summit. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in Alaska on Friday in a bid to secure a peace deal. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been invited to the summit, and European leaders have been rallying around Kyiv insisting that Ukraine must determine its own future. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is co-chairing a separate meeting with Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday afternoon. The leaders will then be joined by Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, where the European leaders will be hoping to convince the US to advance Ukraine's and Europe's interests. Trump has said a peace deal with Russia would require Ukraine to give up some Russian-held territory and could include some "land swapping" with Ukraine. But Zelenskyy said he would not give eastern Ukraine to Russia or withdraw from the territories that it controls, warning it would act as a "springboard for a future new offensive." Ahead of Wednesday's call, a Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer was focused on a solution to the conflict "in Ukraine's national interests". 'He is determined to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, backed by robust and credible security guarantees that will deter Russia from threatening Ukraine in the future," the spokesperson said. After the call, Starmer will co-chair a Coalition of the Willing meeting to provide an update on what occurred. The coalition is an international effort to support Ukraine towards lasting peace, led by the UK, France and Ukraine. It is made up of 31 countries that have pledged strengthened support for Kyiv, including 27 European countries, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
