On Tuesday evening, it was reported that a scheduled meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, has been indefinitely postponed.
Before this announcement, the Polish Foreign Minister expressed concerns about ensuring Putin’s safe passage over Poland to Hungary.
In an interview, Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that Poland “cannot guarantee” its courts will not command the military to intercept Putin’s aircraft and arrest him.
“We cannot assure that an independent Polish court won’t ground the plane purportedly carrying President Putin and seek his extradition to The Hague,” Sikorski remarked. He suggested that the Russian government consider using a different flight path that avoids Polish airspace.
Sikorski criticized the idea of hosting a summit between Trump and Putin in Hungary, focusing his disapproval on the Hungarian government. He accused Prime Minister Orbán of presenting the meeting as one that aims to discuss ending Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, framing it as between “the West and Russia.”
Poland, a NATO member and a staunch ally of Ukraine, has previously voiced its discontent over Russia’s drone incursions into its airspace, raising tensions that could lead to conflicts involving NATO.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin concerning war crimes linked to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This warrant can only be enforced by countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute. Poland is one of those signatories; however, Hungary’s Prime Minister Orbán announced this year his intention to withdraw from the statute, which would take effect in 2026, and he explicitly refused to enforce any arrest warrant for Putin.
Last week, Trump announced that following a phone call with Putin, they had planned to meet in Budapest, interpreting this as a way to potentially refocus peace efforts, particularly after recent peace agreements in the Middle East.
Trump noted, “President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the great achievement of peace in the Middle East, something that has been dreamed of for centuries. I believe our success in the Middle East will aid in negotiating an end to the conflict in Russia/Ukraine.”
Through this phone conversation, both sides agreed that their high-level officials would subsequently engage in discussions.
Trump added, “President Putin and I will then meet in Budapest at a location we have agreed upon to try to conclude this ‘disgraceful’ war between Russia and Ukraine.”
Orbán enthusiastically welcomed the possibility of these talks, citing Hungary’s unique geopolitical position.
“For three years, we’ve been the only nation that has consistently advocated for peace,” Orbán said in an interview with state radio.
Following his conversation with Putin, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Afterward, Zelensky expressed his willingness to fly to Budapest for talks with Putin, signaling a remarkable openness despite his strained ties with Orbán and his aversion to the Russian invasion.
“How can an agreement be made about us without us?” Zelensky reportedly told Trump, expressing his readiness to meet with Putin in Hungary.
In response, the Kremlin commented that there were “no concrete details” regarding the planned Budapest summit.
The state-run carrier Russia Today reported that, while referencing anonymous American media reports, a Russian official hinted at some form of future engagement. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov mentioned that a “significant event” would take place soon, but without details. Likewise, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the summit cancellation reports as an “information circus,” implying that discussions in Hungary might still occur.
Despite the postponement of talks in Hungary, high-level U.S.-Russia engagement is continuing, according to reports. The State Department confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently, although few specifics were provided about their conversation.
“The Secretary highlighted the importance of future discussions as a chance for Russia and the U.S. to collaboratively seek a long-lasting resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict in line with President Trump’s vision,” stated the State Department.
