 "Flying to Hungary won’t be simple for Putin. Russian planes are banned from both US and EU airspace, meaning he would need special permission to cross the skies of any EU member state. Putin faces an ICC warrant over Ukraine war crimes. File image/ Reuters")
Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly preparing to travel to Hungary to meet US President Donald Trump for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. But this is no ordinary trip — Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023, accusing him of involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion.
Headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICC depends on member states to enforce its arrest warrants. However, Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has shown little interest in enforcing the court’s warrant.
But why? To make sense of this, it helps to first understand what the ICC does, why Russia and Hungary reject its authority, and the careful planning likely behind Putin’s proposed journey.
International Criminal Court in a nutshell
The International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002, was created to hold leaders and senior officials accountable for the gravest crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Today, the court has 125 member states, though some major global powers like the United States, Russia, and China have chosen not to join. Ukraine became a member in January.
The ICC has a staff of over 900 and operates on a budget of just over 195 million euros (around $228 million) this year. Despite its reach, enforcing arrest warrants remains a challenge: judges have issued warrants for 61 individuals, but 30 of them are still at large.
As a court of last resort, the ICC only steps in when national legal systems are unwilling or unable to prosecute alleged perpetrators.
Why US and Russia not members of the ICC?
Trump’s administration has slapped sanctions on the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan , some ICC judges and Khan’s two deputies. Trump accuses the court of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting America and Israel.
Trump previously sanctioned Khan’s predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, during his first term in the White House. The Biden administration subsequently lifted those sanctions.
Russia also rejects the court’s authority and has issued a warrant for Khan and the ICC judge who signed Putin’s warrant.
Putin has already travelled overseas since the warrant was issued in 2023, including to ICC member state Mongolia. He’s also travelled to China and North Korea, which are not court members.
Why have some countries left the ICC?
A few countries have chosen to leave the ICC, citing concerns over what they see as selective or political justice. Burundi and the Philippines are among them — in the latter case, former President Rodrigo Duterte is currently in the court’s custody in The Hague over charges linked to his deadly crackdown on drugs.
Recently, military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger also announced their withdrawal, claiming the court targets certain nations while ignoring others.
Hungary followed suit earlier this year, declaring its intention to leave the ICC and calling it a “political court.” In doing so, it became the first European Union member to take such a step.
Hungary even welcomed leaders wanted by the ICC. It hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces allegations of crimes against humanity in Gaza, and is now preparing to host the Russian president, despite his own ICC arrest warrant.
How could Putin travel to Hungary?
Flying to Hungary won’t be simple for Putin. Russian planes are banned from both US and EU airspace, meaning he would need special permission to cross the skies of any EU member state.
Hungary’s PM Viktor Orbán, one of Putin’s closest allies in Europe, has already discussed the planned summit by phone, BBC reports.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reassured reporters, saying, “We will of course ensure that he can enter Hungary, hold successful talks here, and then return home.”
Even with approval, Putin may need to take a complicated route. Ukraine is completely off-limits, and Poland is also likely closed due to strained relations with Moscow.
The most direct path could take him along the eastern coast of the Black Sea, through Turkey, and then via Bulgaria and either Serbia or Romania into Hungary. Serbia, a non-EU country and Putin-friendly state, could provide a safe corridor, as President Aleksandar Vučić has strong ties with Moscow and Air Serbia flies directly over EU airspace.
Consent from EU countries like Bulgaria or Romania would be necessary to allow his plane through their skies. Both nations are strategically important, with Romania soon hosting Europe’s largest Nato base and Bulgaria also building a Nato facility on its eastern flank.
For added caution, Putin could choose a longer route: flying around Greece’s southern coast, through Montenegrin airspace, and then into Serbia before reaching Hungary. While much longer, this path could avoid sensitive areas and reduce political risk.
With inputs from AP and BBC