While attacks on strategically important infrastructure are becoming more frequent in Russia, the Ukrainian president is campaigning for more war aid against Moscow on a trip through Europe. After a surprise visit to Helsinki at the meeting of the Nordic countries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Netherlands late Wednesday evening. He is reportedly scheduled to meet Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren in The Hague this Thursday. Subsequently, a visit to the International Criminal Court, which has been investigating war crimes in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine for months, is planned there.
Zelensky's unannounced visit is his first to the Netherlands. In Helsinki, after talks with President Sauli Niinistö, he met the heads of government of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, who promised him long-term support in the defensive fight against Russia. "The Nordic countries remain unwavering in their commitment to Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within their internationally recognized borders," they said in a joint statement after the meeting.
With a view to the NATO summit on July 11 and 12 in Riga, Latvia, Zelensky wants to use his appearances in Europe to promote Ukraine's early admission to the defense alliance – and apparently also in Germany. Berlin police surprisingly announced on Wednesday that they were taking all security precautions for Zelensky's visit to the capital on May 13 and 14. The presentation of the Charlemagne Prize to Zelensky is scheduled for May 14 in Aachen.
Zelensky denies alleged attack on Kremlin
On the sidelines of his visit to Finland, Zelensky accused Russia of coming up with the latest accusations of an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. "We are not attacking (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or Moscow, we are fighting on our own territory and defending our villages and cities," Zelensky said in Helsinki. "We are not attacking Putin, we are leaving that to the (international) tribunal." Russia's leadership is deliberately spreading false information because it has already lost the war that began just over 14 months ago. In this way, the Kremlin is trying to motivate its soldiers to fight against the neighboring country.
Earlier, videos of an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin during the night surfaced. The Russian government spoke of an "assassination attempt" with Putin as a target. The American embassy in Kiev then warned of possible retaliatory attacks and called on US citizens in the Ukrainian capital and its surroundings to exercise extreme caution in the face of imminent missile strikes. On Thursday night, there was an air raid alert in the capital region and other parts of Ukraine. By morning, no major damage was reported.