Ukraine president to visit war crimes court in The Hague on Thursday

AMSTERDAM: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have a meeting at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Thursday (May 4), the court said without giving further detail.

The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the alleged deportation of children from Ukraine, a war crime.

Zelenskiy arrived at the Dutch Senate building around 7am GMT (3pm, Singapore Time) for a meeting with parliamentarians, Dutch news agency ANP said.

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 Zelenskyy's visit. 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 operation".