Ukraine will not join NATO during war, Zelensky says after meeting European leaders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Thursday insisted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin must be brought to justice for his war crimes in Ukraine. Zelensky made this statement while delivering a speech at The Hague, where the International Criminal Court (ICC) is based. While referring to Putin, Zelensky said, “We all want to see a different Vladimir here in the Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law."

Watch:War at Ukraine: Russia opens probe into Kremlin attack | Russia-Ukraine War

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“I'm sure we will see that happen when we win," he said, adding,"Whoever brings war must receive judgement."The ICC in March had issued an arrest warrant for Putin for allegedly deporting children from war-ravaged regions of Ukraine. On the flip side, Russia has rejected ICC’s allegations and jurisdiction over its conflict with Ukraine, which it prefers to call a “special military operation.”

Ukraine not seeking NATO membership during war

Zelensky on Thursday clarified that his country will not join NATO during the war with Russia. "We are realistic, we know we will not be in NATO during the war," he said after meetingDutch and Belgian Prime Ministers Mark Rutte and Alexander De Croo. He further added, "But we want a very clear message that we will be in NATO after the war."

Key points from Zelensky’s speech at The Hague

1. Zelensky again called for setting up a war tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its “war crimes” in Ukraine.
2. Zelensky claimed that Russia committed 6,000 war crimes in April alone, which led to the death of at least 207 Ukrainian civilians, including children.
3. He also thanked the Dutch leadership for its unwavering support of Ukraine and for supplying it with weapons. He reiterated that a war is won by “force of arms.”
4. He referred to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as “the war we didn't want, the one we have to make the last - and we will do it"

The speech comes in the backdrop of ‘Ukraine drone strike’ controversy

Zelensky delivered his speech in The Hague a day after Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to strike the Kremlin with its kamikaze drone. The Kremlin said it perceives the attack as an attempt on Putin’s life.

Russia's ex-president Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday called for the “physical elimination” of Zelensky. The leader said, “After today's terrorist attack, there are no options left aside from the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal."

Russia accuses the US of masterminding the attack

The Kremlin on Thursday blamed the US for orchestrating the drone attack. The Kremlin said in a statement, "Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv but in Washington. Kyiv only does what it is told to do."

Ukraine has denied its involvement in the attack, while some reports suggest that Russia could have staged this attack to use this as a pretext for the impending escalation.

Zelensky meets with the ICC president

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with ICC PresidentPiotr Hofmanski on Thursday in The Hague for talks. The details of the talks were not made public. This was Zelensky's first official visit to the Netherlands, and he spent under one hour at the ICC's headquarters.

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