Warsaw Minister Signals Possible Arrest if Putin Enters Polish Airspace
Poland has firmly confirmed its readiness to comply with international law and execute the International Criminal Court's (ICC) warrant, casting doubt on Putin's ability to fly directly through its airspace.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not cross Polish airspace during his planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest.
"I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court won't order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect to the court in The Hague," he said.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 on charges of war crimes, including the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine. Russia denies the court's jurisdiction and rejects the charges.
Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orbán maintains close ties with Russia, guarantees Putin's safe entry into the country to attend the summit. However, any flight through the airspace of other EU countries, which are members of the ICC, could create legal complications for the Russian leader.
Earlier, Donald Trump announced plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest.
Nevertheless, the Kremlin stated that no dates have been set for a potential summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, denying reports of any postponement.
"We cannot postpone something that has not been finalised. Neither President Trump nor President Putin have given exact dates," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
A planned preparatory meeting between the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was put on hold, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that serious preparation is needed.
As The Gaze informed earlier, hopes for an early meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest are faltering as Moscow shows little sign of softening its position on ending the war in Ukraine.