In the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine were awarded the international Four Freedoms Award for their contribution to the defense of freedom and democratic values.

As Russia launches massive strikes, Zelenskyy receives a global freedom award – and calls for war crimes justice that could reshape international law.

This was reported by Suspilne, citing a live broadcast.

On April 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began a visit to the Netherlands.

After the announcement of the award, the Ukrainian president took the stage and said that freedom is impossible without security and without holding the aggressor accountable. At the beginning of his speech, he spoke about a massive strike Russia carried out on Ukraine on the night of April 16.

“Within just one night, almost 300 attack drones, 19 ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles were launched. Air raid sirens sounded in many of our cities, dozens of people were injured. Unfortunately, there are dead in Odesa, Kyiv, and Dnipro — ordinary people, children, civilians killed by Russian madness,” the head of state said.

Those present honored the memory of the fallen with a minute of silence.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia’s war against Ukraine is based on denying the very existence of the state, and noted that part of the world was initially hesitant to support Ukraine, while others immediately stood on the side of justice and assistance.

“Freedom is never abstract. It is not something given — it is a condition that people fight for and must defend. It always requires a solid foundation: security, law, culture, and education, as well as the understanding that evil will be punished,” the president said.

Zelenskyy also stated that wars return when those who start them believe they will escape punishment.

According to him, Ukraine, together with its partners, including the Netherlands, is working to ensure that no victim of Russian aggression is left without justice and that war criminals are held accountable.

“This is necessary just as it was after the Second World War. That is why in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, we are working on launching a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression committed by Russia against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy concluded.

As reported, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is currently on a European tour. On April 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin. Before the talks, the delegations were shown seven models of drones produced by joint Ukrainian-German enterprises.

Following the visit, Merz announced that Germany would provide Ukraine with new military aid packages, including air defense systems, long-range weapons, drones, and ammunition.

On the evening of the same day, Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo, the capital of Norway, where he met with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The parties signed a declaration on defense partnership.

On April 15, the president met with the Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) Masud Gharahkhani and leaders of political parties, during which they discussed work on preparing a Drone Deal between the countries, as well as the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and the necessary steps for its launch.

EMPR