Vladimir Putin arrest warning as NATO country says it 'cannot guarantee' safe passage

 

Poland Warns Putin’s Plane Could Be Forced Down if He Enters Its Airspace on Way to Hungary Summit

Vladimir Putin has reportedly been warned that his flight to Hungary for an upcoming summit with Donald Trump may not be safe — and could even be intercepted midair.

According to recent diplomatic reports, Polish authorities cautioned that Putin’s aircraft could be forced to land if it crosses Polish airspace, due to the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against him. The ICC issued the arrest warrant in 2023, accusing the Russian president of war crimes — specifically, the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children during the invasion.

This warrant legally obligates all 123 ICC member nations to arrest and hand over Putin to The Hague should he set foot on their territory.

Despite this, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has suggested that Putin would be safe traveling to Hungary, assuring that his government will not execute the ICC warrant. Similarly, Bulgaria’s foreign minister Georg Georgiev stated that Russia could use Bulgarian airspace without interference.

However, Poland has taken a much tougher stance. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told local radio that if Putin’s jet violates Polish skies, an independent Polish court could order it to be grounded and the Russian leader detained.

“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 Hague,” Sikorski said.

He added that any peace summit should ideally include Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “the victim of the aggression.”

The planned summit between Putin and Donald Trump in Budapest aims to discuss a potential peace deal to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, now in its third year.

Last week, Zelensky met with Trump in Washington hoping to secure Tomahawk cruise missiles. However, after a follow-up call with Putin, Trump publicly urged both sides to “stop where they are,” suggesting a halt to further military advances.

On Sunday, Trump added that Ukraine’s Donbas region should be “cut up,” implying that most of the industrial east would remain under Russian control.

Currently, Russia occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has firmly rejected any proposal that involves surrendering more land as part of a peace agreement.