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Media: Putin's flight to Budapest could be risky

18 October 2025 13:46 (UTC +04:00)

The arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hungary to meet with US President Donald Trump may be accompanied by a number of difficulties, APA reports, citing Sky News.

It was stated that although Hungary is considered a favorable place for such a meeting from a geographical and political point of view, Putin's visit there may be dangerous.

"According to the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, Putin must be arrested upon entering Hungary. Although Hungary is a member of the ICC, official Budapest has begun the process of withdrawing from it, calling this institution a "political court."

This allows Hungary to effectively ignore the court's warrant and make it possible for Putin to hold a meeting here. The same situation was previously observed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Getting to Budapest directly is more complicated. If an alternative route is not chosen, that is, a detour over Türkiye and the Balkans is not possible, Putin's plane will have to fly through the airspace of countries with tense relations with Russia, such as Poland, Romania and the Baltic states. In these countries, a forced landing of the plane or a diplomatic incident may be possible," the statement said.