Poland may ground and arrest Putin before his summit with Trump
Photo: Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Poland has announced the possible arrest of Russia's Vladimir Putin if his plane crosses the country's airspace during a flight to Budapest for a summit with US leader Donald Trump, Reuters reports.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced the possible arrest of Putin.
"I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court won't order the government to escort such an aircraft down to hand the suspect to the court in The Hague," Sikorski says on Radio Rodzina.
An existing warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague obliges ICC member states to arrest Putin if he crosses their borders.
"I think the Russian side is aware of this. And, therefore, if this summit is to take place, hopefully with the participation of the victim of the aggression, the aircraft will use a different route," the Polish Foreign Minister adds.
Hungary, where the summit is planned, has promised Putin that he will be able to enter the country for the summit and return home afterward.
To avoid traveling over Ukraine, the Russian delegation will need to fly through the airspace of at least one European Union country.
All EU countries are members of the ICC, although Hungary is in the process of withdrawing from the court.
Back in 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russia's Vladimir Putin, although Russia subsequently stated that it did not recognize the ICC's decision.
The court in The Hague accuses Putin, in particular, of war crimes against Ukraine and its population and obliges ICC member states to arrest the criminal at the earliest opportunity.
A summit between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is scheduled to take place in Budapest in the near future. Still, the media has already reported that the meeting between the leaders is in jeopardy.
