Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the country would ensure Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's entry to the summit with US President Donald Trump scheduled in Budapest and his return home after the meeting.
Reuters writes about this.
The day before, Trump agreed to hold a second summit on the war in Ukraine in the Hungarian capital, indicating that it could take place within the next two weeks. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke with Trump on Thursday and with Putin on Friday, stating that preparations were "in full swing."
"We will ensure that he arrives in Hungary, holds successful negotiations here, and then returns home. There is no need for any consultations with anyone – we are a sovereign country. We will receive [Putin] with respect, show him hospitality, and create the conditions for negotiations with the American president," Szijjártó said.
Budapest's decision attracted particular attention because an arrest warrant for Putin was issued by the International Criminal Court, whose charter Hungary is currently in the process of withdrawing from. Moscow denies the ICC's accusations, calling the warrant evidence of Western hostility toward Russia.
As a reminder, the EU stated that it welcomes a possible meeting if it could contribute to achieving peace in Ukraine, adding that Putin is subject to asset freezes, but not a travel ban.
At the same time, Putin will have to circumvent the EU ban on Russian aircraft flights, imposed by Brussels after the 2022 invasion.
"A decision will need to be made either at the EU or national level to allow the flight if that is where the meeting is planned," said Jan Petchenik, communications director for flight tracking service Flightradar24.
According to Petchenik, the shortest route to Hungary would be through Poland and Slovakia, while a much longer route would be across the Black Sea and further into the EU via Romania.
According to n-tv , a German Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that Hungary must comply with the ISS charter and arrest the Kremlin leader during a meeting between dictator Putin and US President Donald Trump.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained that although the Budapest government announced its withdrawal from the ICC statute, this decision will only take effect in April 2026, so Hungary remains obligated to execute the arrest warrant for Putin if he enters the country.
"Hungary must coordinate directly with the ICC whether there could be exceptions due to potential peace talks between Trump and Putin, as the court's statute does not provide for such exceptions," the publication states.