“We would have preferred to see Vladimir here, in the city of the International Criminal Court,” Zelensky joked at the beginning of his story. The Ukrainian spelling of Putin’s name is Volodimir, the same name as Zelensky.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is already investigating war crimes in Ukraine. President Zelensky was also a guest there this morning. The ICC cannot condemn the invasion of Ukraine because it deals only with war crimes.
That’s why Zelensky supports a new court that can convict the raid. For him, this means that even the annexation of Crimea in 2014 can be attempted. According to the Ukrainian president, “just one Russian crime led to all these other crimes”.
‘Putin deserves a conviction for his crimes in The Hague, I’m sure he will’
It refers to the day of the invasion of Ukraine. He holds Putin responsible for this. “This is an act of aggression.” Putin should be held responsible for this, Zelensky believes. “This can only be done with a special court. Justice matters.’
Zelensky is confident that the special court will come. Putin deserves a sentence for his crimes in The Hague. I’m sure it will happen if we win.’
Holland ready
Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra says the Netherlands is ready to host such a court. The government had already promised it last year. According to Hoekstra, hosting the tribunal in The Hague would be logical, but not necessary. According to Hoekstra, international discussions are currently underway about what an international court should look like.
According to Hoekstra, such a court could start while the war is still going on. He says, however, that these types of processes sometimes take longer “than you’d like.” Hoekstra would prefer to see a court that receives broad support around the world. ‘Not only in Europe, but also in South America, Africa and Asia. This affects us all.”