Can Putin Fly to Budapest Safely?

President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming flight to Hungary for his long-awaited summit with U.S. President Donald Trump may involve significant security dangers, according to Russian military journalist Alexander Kots.

Security Risks Along the Route

In his Telegram channel, Kots described the complexity of the mission, noting that Hungary is a landlocked nation with no direct border with Russia. As a result, the presidential aircraft will have to fly near or over territories of countries that Moscow classifies as unfriendly.

“Flying over Ukraine poses a risk of direct attack on the presidential aircraft, while routes over the Baltic states or Germany remain dangerous because of previously recorded unidentified drones in those areas,”

wrote Kots, emphasizing that ensuring Putin’s safety is “a serious challenge for Russian security services, especially the Federal Protective Service.”

He suggested that the most secure route could involve flying through the Caucasus, Iran, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea, Montenegro, and Serbia — a much longer but safer corridor for the Russian leader’s journey.

Budapest Summit Seen as Diplomatic Victory

The announced meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump in Budapest, analysts say, carries deep geopolitical symbolism. It represents what some experts have called a “symbolic return of Russia to Europe.”

Vladimir Vasilyev, a chief research fellow at the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Vedomosti that choosing Budapest over other potential venues was a strategic success for Russian diplomacy.

“The Hungarian capital is far more convenient for Moscow than Istanbul. Moreover, this gesture also strengthens Hungary’s position in its ongoing dispute with the European Union,”

Vasilyev noted.

Strategic Message to Washington

Vasilyev also touched upon the sensitive issue of potential U.S. plans to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. According to him, during the recent phone call between the two presidents, Putin likely conveyed a clear warning.

“It’s possible that Putin made it clear to his American counterpart that approving such a transfer would bury the favorable ‘Anchorage spirit’ that has guided the latest negotiations, forcing both sides to rebuild diplomatic bridges from scratch,”

the expert said.

Big Progress After Putin–Trump Call

President Trump, who spoke with Putin for two hours on October 16, described their conversation as “very productive” and said that “big progress” had been achieved. He later confirmed on Truth Social that their next in-person meeting would take place in Budapest.

The idea of hosting the U.S.–Russia summit in the Hungarian capital was first proposed by Trump and later supported by Putin, according to Yury Ushakov, the Russian president’s aide for international affairs.

The Budapest summit, expected to be one of the most closely watched diplomatic events of the year, will serve as both a test of renewed dialogue between Washington and Moscow and a demonstration of Hungary’s emerging role as a geopolitical bridge within Europe.