Susanna Reid has arrived in Ukraine a year after Russia’s brutal invasion, as the Good Morning Britain anchor described how long it took her to get there.
Earlier this month, Nato’s leader warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the deployment of “thousands and thousands of additional troops” to strike Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an attack that escalated from the Russo-Ukrainian War, which had been ongoing since 2014.
Susanna, 52, chatted to co-hosts Ed Balls, 55, and Ranvir Singh, 45, from Ukraine on Monday’s GMB, sporting a yellow puffer jacket to stay warm as chilly winds blasted about her in Kyiv.
Sharing that it was her first trip in Ukraine, having previously visited to Poland, Susanna said: ‘I have come back and crossed from Poland this time into Ukraine. It took hours because it is a large nation. It takes roughly ten hours to get from Poland to Kyiv.’
During her tour, the presenter said that she went to one of the communities outside of the city that had been “most hit” by the horrific battle.
‘You’ll remember the name Borodyanka. The horrors of war were inflicted on that town and I’ve spoken to survivors and their stories are chilling but also they are a symbol of the resilience of Ukrainians,’ she stated.
‘But the news today is that EU allies are holding talks over how to improve the supply of weapons, ammunitions here, which comes following warnings from the west that China could be on the brink of supplying so-called lethal support to Russia.’
Susanna briefed viewers watching GMB about US Vice President Joe Biden’s trip to Poland on Air Force One to meet with other world leaders.
‘You’ll see my report on Borodyanka a little bit later, but on Kyiv, diplomats are preparing for today’s visit of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but people here have also been telling me their fears that Russia could be preparing to renew its attacks on the country’s capital,’ she said.
Susanna went on to say that “nothing prepared me for what I would witness personally,” noting how frightening it has been to observe the impact of the conflict on the Ukrainian people, particularly children.
One GMB fan praised the presenter’s bravery, writing on Twitter, ‘Shout out to Susanna for being in Ukraine this week. Few television hosts would be bold enough to take on such a task.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.