Trump said last week he planned to meet with the Russian president in the Hungarian capital Budapest as part of his efforts to help broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting Ukrainian children.
"I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court would not order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect over to The Hague,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told Catholic broadcaster Radio Rodzina, as cited by the Reuters news agency.
“I think the Russian side is aware of this,” Sikorski said. “If this summit is to take place — hopefully with the participation of the victim of the aggression — the aircraft will have to take a different route.”
Hungary, an EU member whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban maintains close ties with Moscow, has said it will ensure Putin can enter and leave the country safely for the meeting.
To avoid flying over Ukraine, however, any Russian aircraft would need to pass through the airspace of at least one European Union country, according to Reuters.
The ICC warrant requires member states to arrest Putin if he enters their territory.
All EU members are parties to the ICC, though Hungary has begun steps to withdraw.
Poland, a member of both the EU and NATO, has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Reuters reported.
Trump and Putin previously met in Anchorage, Alaska in mid-August.
US President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meet in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15, 2025. Photo: EPA/SERGEY BOBYLEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 1,336 of Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Source: Reuters, radiorodzina.pl