Zelenskyy surprisingly arrives in Netherlands

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in the Netherlands, local media reported, on an unannounced visit expected to include meetings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as well as members of the country’s parliament.

Dutch news agency ANP reported that Zelenskyy, making his first visit to the Netherlands, landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport late on May 3 after attending a Nordic summit in Finland’s capital Helsinki, reports Al Jazeera.

ANP published a dark photo of an aircraft, claiming it was the Dutch government plane likely carrying the Ukrainian leader. The Dutch government plane that reportedly transported Zelenskyy flew on May 3 from a Polish airport to Helsinki, according to NOS.

Zelenskyy will visit the ICC, which is based in The Hague, the news agency said.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of responsibility for the “war crime of unlawful deportation of children” from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. Maria Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children’s rights in Putin’s presidential office, was also issued an arrest warrant by the ICC for alleged war crimes related to the transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Russia, which is not a member of the ICC and rejects its jurisdiction, denies committing atrocities in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is also expected to deliver a speech in The Hague entitled “No peace without justice for Ukraine”, according to public broadcaster NOS. A meeting with Dutch MPs is planned as well as talks with Prime Minister Rutte, ANP reported, citing unnamed sources.

Despite his country being in the throes of war, the Ukrainian leader has made unannounced visits to several foreign capitals including London, Paris, and Washington, DC, since Russia’s February 2022, full-scale invasion.

Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Finland earlier on May 3, where he promised that this year would be “decisive” in dealing with Russia.

“I believe that this year will be decisive for us, for Europe, for Ukraine, decisive for victory,” he told reporters during a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.