Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Visits International Criminal Court in Wake of Accusations of War Crimes Against Russia’s President Vladimir Putin

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an unannounced visit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, just one day after Russia accused the United States of being behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.

The ICC recently issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. During his visit, Zelenskyy was greeted by court staff who crowded at windows to get a glimpse of his arrival and raised a Ukrainian flag next to its own flag outside the building.

Russia had claimed that the United States was behind the alleged drone attack, which Moscow said was a Ukrainian attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. However, three American officials, speaking to NBC News on Wednesday, said the U.S. had no prior knowledge of any attack.

Judges at the ICC last month announced they found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Putin and his government were responsible for war crimes in Ukraine. The accusation, made without citing evidence, comes less than 24 hours after Moscow said that it had foiled an overnight drone strike on the building that acts as the heart of the country’s government and Putin’s residence — something Kyiv strongly denied.

Zelenskyy was in The Hague, which hosts the ICC as well as the United Nations’ top judicial organ, the International Court of Justice. It is unclear what the purpose of his visit was, but it is likely that he was there to discuss the arrest warrant for Putin.