Zelenskyy addressed Putin from The Hague: There are rules – don't kill, don't be an animal, don't steal children

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed dictator Vladimir Putin from the Dutch parliament in The Hague, listing some basic principles of international law.

"Here in The Hague, I want to say very clearly, for Putin, there is a rule "do not kill". There is a rule "do not act like an animal towards people". There is a rule "do not burn cities and villages". There is a rule "do not justify or sponsor terror". There is a rule "do not kidnap children". And if you violate such rules, there must be responsibility," the head of the Ukrainian state said during a speech to parliamentarians.

According to him, it may be difficult for Russia to understand this, but it is these rules that "shape everything" – the UN Charter and international law, as well as the common European way of life.

Zelenskyy noted that this way of life, built after World War II, is the "safest" that Europe has had for centuries: "And we must protect this life, and we will protect this life."

• The Hague is home to the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for the arrest of Putin and the "Russian Children's Rights Commissioner" Lvova-Belova for complicity in the abduction of Ukrainian children in 2023. However, the Russian dictator avoids visiting countries where he could be arrested, and in September 2024, Mongolia, which should have done so, decided to ignore the warrant and not spoil relations with the Russian Federation.
• Zelenskyy arrived in this Dutch city on June 24 to participate in NATO summit events.