EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned meeting with US former president Donald Trump in Hungary, citing the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against Putin.
Kallas stated during a press conference ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg that it is “not nice” for a leader facing an ICC arrest warrant to visit a European country. The ICC issued the warrant in March 2023, alleging unlawful deportation of children from Donbass, a claim Russia has denied, asserting the evacuations were for safety and family reunification.
Hungary, a signatory to the Rome Statute governing the ICC, has guaranteed Putin’s passage despite the warrant. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the “aggressive Western European community” of sabotaging peace efforts through “active subversive actions,” calling EU calls for peace a “camouflage.”
Spain’s El Pais previously described the Putin-Trump meeting as an “embarrassing and awkward situation” for the EU, which would be excluded from the process. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized Moscow’s desire to “make progress toward a settlement with Ukraine,” while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban highlighted his country’s continued diplomatic channels with Moscow, contrasting it with other EU states.
Orban stated on Facebook that Hungary has “never closed channels of negotiation” with Russia, underscoring its role as host for the talks.
