THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS — THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took his campaign against Russia to the Netherlands’ international war crimes tribunal on Thursday, saying he was certain Russian President Vladimir Putin would be sentenced a once his invasion of Ukraine was defeated.
In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelenskyy urged the global community to hold Putin accountable, telling ICC judges that Russia’s leader “deserves to be condemned for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of international law.”
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of Ukrainian children. It was the first time the world court had circulated an order for a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Zelensky’s unannounced visit to the Netherlands came a day after he went to Finland, which doubled the size of NATO’s border with Russia when it joined the military alliance last month, largely partly because of his concerns about Moscow’s long-term ambitions.
The Ukrainian president also used his trip to press the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands to send advanced warplanes so his country can achieve “battlefield justice.” Zelenskyy has successfully rallied significant Western military and political support for Ukraine’s defense since the war began in February 2022.
Zelenskyy traveled in a Dutch-supplied plane and an armored car, with tight security at his appearances. Next week, he is expected to go to Berlin, the capital of European Union economic powerhouse Germany, in the latest show of Western power against Putin.
Zelenskyy’s trips have paid dividends. After traveling to Washington last December and then to London, Paris and Brussels in February, Ukraine received heavy artillery and tanks.
But the chances of Putin being tried in The Hague are remote. The court, which tries people for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression, does not have a police force to enforce its orders. The Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the 123 member countries of the ICC, which have an obligation to arrest him, if they can.
Zelenskiy’s speech at the ICC came a day after he denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for what the Kremlin called an attempted assassination of Putin in a drone strike in Moscow. The Kremlin vowed unspecified retaliation for what it called a “terrorist” act, and pro-Kremlin figures called for the assassination of senior Ukrainian leaders.
Uncertainty still surrounds exactly what happened in the alleged attack.
Putin’s spokesman on Thursday accused the United States of being behind the alleged attack. To build domestic support for the war, Moscow has often tried to blame Washington for trying to destroy Russia with its help in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing that the Kremlin was “well aware that the decision on these terrorist actions and attacks is not made in Kiev, but in Washington.”
“And then Kiev does what it is told to do,” Peskov said, offering no evidence for his claim.
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, called the claim “ridiculous.” Zelenskyy told the Netherlands that he was “not interested” in the Kremlin’s opinion.
Zelenskyy’s top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed on Thursday that Russia had “starred” in the alleged drone strike. He cited Russian state media’s delay in reporting it and “simultaneous video from different angles” that appeared to show the aftermath of the alleged 2:30 a.m. attack.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also saw evidence of staging.
“Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian national audience and set the conditions for broader social mobilization,” the think tank said.
Given recent Russian moves to beef up security, it is “extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defense and detonated or been shot down right in the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular footage well captured by the camera.” ISW said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said three Russian drones that struck the southern city of Odesa early Thursday had “for Moscow” and “for the Kremlin” written on them, apparently referring to the attempted Kremlin strike
The capital of Ukraine, Kiev, was the target of an air strike for the third time in four days. In total, the Ukrainian Air Force intercepted 18 of the 24 Iranian drones launched by Russian forces in various regions. No casualties were reported.
In Russia, drones attacked two oil facilities in the country’s southern regions near Ukraine in what appeared to be a series of attacks on fuel depots behind enemy lines, Russian media reported Thursday.
Four drones struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, which borders Russia’s annexed Crimea, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing law enforcement sources. Another facility was affected in the Rostov region.
The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian war effort. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government has pledged 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks that it is buying together with Denmark. They are expected to be delivered next year.
The Netherlands also joined forces with Germany and Denmark to buy at least 100 older Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine.
In addition, the Dutch government sent two Patriot air defense missile systems, pledged two naval minesweepers and sent military forensic experts to Ukraine to assist in war crimes investigations.
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