Ukraine president to visit war crimes court in The Hague Thursday
2023.05.04 04:23
© Reuters. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy takes part in a press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (not pictured) Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (not pictured), Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (not pictured), Swedish Prime Min
By Toby Sterling
THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday will visit the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged deportation of children from Ukraine.
Zelenskiy arrived at the Dutch Senate building around 0700 GMT for a meeting with parliamentarians, Dutch news agency ANP said. The ICC said he would visit on Thursday.
He will also have meetings with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and members of parliament, the government said ahead of his visit.
The foreign ministry said Zelenskiy was expected to deliver a speech titled “No Peace Without Justice for Ukraine”.
Citing security concerns, government spokespersons declined to provide further details on Zelenskiy’s visit, his first official trip to the country. The Ukrainian leader has visited several foreign capitals including London, Paris and Washington since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, with Rutte in February saying he did not rule out any kind of military support for Kyiv as long as it did not bring NATO into conflict with Russia.
Russia, which is not a member of the ICC and rejects its jurisdiction, denies committing atrocities during its conflict with Ukraine, which it terms a “special military operation”.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in February that an international centre for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine would be set up in The Hague.
The ICC can prosecute genocide in Ukraine but has no jurisdiction over alleged crimes of aggression by Russia there.
