Ukraine expects to join NATO only after war ends: Zelensky

Amsterdam [Netherlands], May 5: Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky acknowledged that it is "not realistic" for his country to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the active war against Russia's invasion during a visit to the Netherlands on Thursday. "We are realistic, we know that we will not be in NATO during the war," Zelensky said at a press conference in The Hague. "But during the war, we want to get a very clear message that we will be in NATO after the war." Zelensky was speaking alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
Zelensky said he has received positive messages from some countries ahead of a planned NATO summit in July in Vilnius but still hopes to receive more concrete support signals.
Rutte called the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO a "very sensitive" issue because of the ongoing war with Russia but said he backs Ukraine's eventual membership in the Western defence alliance. "We support Ukraine's NATO ambitions," said Rutte. The Netherlands also said it is currently consulting with Denmark and Britain on delivering fighter jets to Ukraine.
The delivery of F-16 fighter jets is "not taboo," said Rutte. He added that an agreement had not yet been reached, but it was just a question of time. The prime minister referred to international debates on delivering howitzers and Leopard tanks to Ukraine. "These things take time. But now, the self-propelled howitzers are in Ukraine. And the Leopard 2s are being delivered." The delivery of Western fighter jets to Ukraine has been controversial for political and logistical reasons. De Croo also announced a new military aid package for Ukraine but did not give details.
While in The Hague, Zelensky also renewed his call for an international tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes and aggression against his country after visiting the International Criminal Court (ICC). Without justice, no peace is possible, Zelensky argued in his speech.
He held up the trial of high-ranking Nazi leaders at Nuremberg after World War II as a model for how to deal with Russians implicated in atrocities in Ukraine. "The sustainability of peace arises from complete justice toward the aggressor," Zelensky said. Zelensky praised the work of the ICC, which launched investigations shortly after the Russian invasion and issued an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in March. "Of course, we all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague today, the one who deserves to be sentenced for these criminal actions," Zelensky joked at the beginning of his speech. Putin and Zelensky share versions of the same first name. Zelensky expressed confidence that Putin would be brought to The Hague to be tried and punished after a Ukrainian victory in the war.
It is currently considered extremely unlikely that Putin would be extradited to The Hague to be tried by the ICC as Russia does not recognize the court. Ukraine is not officially a party to the ICC but has recognized the court's jurisdiction since 2014 to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on Ukrainian territory. In 2022, Ukrainian laws were amended to allow prosecutors from The Hague to conduct investigations in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president visited the ICC on Thursday during his unannounced trip to the Netherlands before meeting with the Dutch and Belgian leaders.
Zelensky arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening. The Dutch parliament received him and spoke with lawmakers earlier. The Netherlands has provided around $1.3 billion in military aid to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
Source: Qatar Tribune