Warsaw warns Putin against flying over Polish territory

Poland has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against using Polish airspace for his flight to the summit with Donald Trump in Budapest. Warsaw pointed out that it would be obliged to arrest Putin on the basis of the international arrest warrant if he entered Polish territory.

In 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for the president for war crimes—the deportation of Ukrainian children. Russia rejects the allegations and does not recognize the court's jurisdiction.

“I cannot guarantee that a Polish court will not order the plane to land,” said Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, referring to a possible overflight by Putin.

Sikorski added that Moscow was aware of the risk and would probably choose a different route. However, Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán, confirmed that Putin could safely attend the summit and return. To bypass Ukraine, the Russian delegation would have to fly over the airspace of an EU country that is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Poland, a member of NATO, has been one of Kyiv's closest allies since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

(reuters, lud)