Poland cannot guarantee that a plane carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be forcibly landed if it flew over Polish territory, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said.
“Poland respects the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Therefore, we cannot guarantee that an independent court would not order our government to detain such a plane,” the diplomat stated.
Sikorski also noted that the ban on Russian aircraft applies throughout the entire European Union. However, he added that it is still possible to reach Hungary from Russia “via Turkey, Montenegro, and Serbia.”
On October 16, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a two-hour phone conversation. Following the call, Trump announced a potential meeting with Putin in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to discuss “whether we can bring this conflict to an end.” The Kremlin, meanwhile, emphasized that neither leader had set an exact date for the summit and that significant preparations were still required.
Russian Foreign Ministry Sees Polish Threats as 'Readiness for Terrorism'
Threats from Poland regarding the safety of President Putin’s aircraft demonstrate Warsaw’s readiness to commit terrorist acts, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“The Poles are now ready to carry out terrorist attacks themselves. (...) These are very telling actions,” Lavrov said. He added that Poland justified the Nord Stream sabotage in a similar manner through an official court ruling.
Aleksei Chepa, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, claimed that Europe would take various measures to prevent the planned summit between Presidents Putin and Trump in Hungary.
“The proposal from France, the United Kingdom, and Germany to torpedo the Budapest summit is already being put into action. Steps are being taken—and will continue—to escalate the situation and ensure the meeting does not happen. We should also expect increased confrontation on the front lines and possible terrorist attacks,” Chepa warned.
Expert Names Safest Route for Putin’s Possible Flight to Budapest
Earlier, military expert Yuri Knutov identified the safest route for President Putin’s potential flight to Budapest for talks with the U.S. leader.
According to Knutov, the safest option would be a route over the Caspian Sea, then toward Turkey and further into Europe.
“It’s a rather complex and long route, but the countries the flight would pass over maintain relatively normal relations with us. We’re talking about Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia,” Knutov explained.
He added that the flight could become easier if agreements were reached with Washington. For instance, the U.S. could pressure certain countries, though even in that case, a route over Poland or the Baltic states would be ruled out.
U.S. Analyst Suggests Eastern NATO States Could Block Putin’s Flight
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson suggested that NATO’s eastern members might attempt to disrupt the planned meeting between Putin and Trump in Budapest by denying the Russian presidential aircraft access to their airspace.
“It’s possible. If I were President Putin, I would definitely fly accompanied by military aircraft,” the expert said.
In his view, Bulgaria or Romania would be more likely flight options, while Poland would be excluded due to its government’s openly hostile stance toward Russia.
