Putin’s Hungarian Gambit: Diplomacy on Borrowed Time
The shadows of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are cast during a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Putin and Trump are preparing for another summit in Budapest — a meeting that immediately sets off several collisions at once: of interests, ambitions, and political illusions.
First. Hungary has already promised not only not to arrest Putin, but, on the contrary, to offer him a warm welcome and full security.
Nothing else could be expected from Orbán. Hungary has announced its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which obliges signatories to arrest Putin under the ICC warrant. Although Hungary’s withdrawal will not take effect until 2026, formally, Budapest is still bound by the statute and must detain him.
That’s exactly what Germany is now demanding from Budapest. Yet, despite protests from Berlin, Putin’s summons, and Trump’s invitation, Viktor Orbán will almost certainly ignore the ICC warrant and greet Putin with bread and salt. What follows will be telling: either other countries will also disregard the Rome Statute—burying yet another fragment of international law—or…
Second. And this contradiction is now acknowledged even in Russia. There is simply no way for Putin to reach Budapest — not by air, not by sea, and not by land. Geographically, Hungary is surrounded by countries whose airspace should be closed to Putin’s aircraft (see map of Europe).
The only option is if Donald Trump himself forces Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia to let Putin’s plane pass.
If this happens, it will be possible to bury another segment of the old international order. And if not, then Putin simply will not be able to get to Budapest. Unless through space on Elon Musk’s rocket.
As a reminder, Donald Trump intends to meet with Vladimir Putin in Hungary to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, preparations for this meeting between the US and Russian presidents are underway in Budapest. At the same time, Hungary does not plan to arrest the Russian dictator on an International Criminal Court warrant when he arrives in the country.
As “Pryamiy” reported, on October 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a more than two-hour meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House . The leaders discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, the supply of weapons, including Tomahawk missiles, and the prospects for ending the war.
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