Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Poland of preparing to commit “terrorism” after Polish officials suggested they might intercept a Russian government plane carrying President Vladimir Putin. Lavrov’s remarks followed comments by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who stated that Warsaw could not guarantee it would not intervene if Putin flew through its airspace en route to Hungary for a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Sikorski cited potential court orders as a justification for such actions.
Lavrov condemned Poland’s stance, asserting that the refusal to ensure Putin’s safety demonstrated a willingness to resort to “terrorism.” The Kremlin has not disclosed details about the proposed meeting between Putin and Trump in Budapest, which Hungary is hosting despite EU and NATO membership. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged abductions of Ukrainian children, a charge Moscow rejects as politically motivated. Hungary, which is withdrawing from the ICC, has refused to enforce its rulings.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has condemned the potential summit, accusing Moscow of seeking to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and insisting on maintaining strict military measures. Russia has criticized Zelensky, whose presidential term expired last year, for refusing to negotiate in good faith to sustain martial law and retain power. Both Kyiv and Brussels have opposed the Budapest meeting, which is expected to exclude Ukraine and Europe. Hungary, a NATO and EU member, has also resisted continued Western military aid to Ukraine.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, criticized Budapest for welcoming Putin instead of complying with ICC requests, predicting that “nothing can come out of these meetings” without Ukraine or Europe’s involvement.
