Romania has not yet received any overflight request related to a potential visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the upcoming summit in Budapest, Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu said on Monday, speaking ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
"No such request or confirmation of the flight or presence has been transmitted yet, but let us focus on the main point - the standard practice according to which Putin must seek permission before entering European airspace," the Romanian foreign minister said when asked by journalists.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reportedly assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that all necessary arrangements will be made for him to attend and host the upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump in Budapest, despite the international arrest warrant issued for the Kremlin leader by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Reuters and EFE reported on Friday.
We will make sure he enters Hungary, holds successful talks and then returns home, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told the press.
"There is no need for any consultations with anyone; we are a sovereign country. We will receive Mr Putin with respect, host him and provide the conditions for him to negotiate with the US President, Szijjarto added.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban held phone conversations with both Trump and Putin after the US President announced on Thursday that he would hold another summit with his Russian counterpart "within the next two weeks" in Budapest. Speaking on Hungary's national radio on Friday morning, Orban said the summit "will be about peace", adding that if it leads to a peace agreement ending the Russia-Ukraine war, this would mark the beginning of a new stage of economic development for Hungary and for Europe.
The Kremlin, which stated that the proposal to hold a "possible summit" between Trump and Putin in Budapest had come from the US President, welcomed the idea.
"Hungary, as a NATO and EU member state, maintains a special position regarding its sovereignty in defending its national interests. This undoubtedly earns respect from both leaders," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
As for the organisation of the Russian president's trip to Budapest, the logistical details are still unclear, but he will inevitably have to fly over the airspace of certain NATO countries, Peskov added.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin after Ukrainian children were transferred to Russia from territories occupied by Russian troops, although Hungary is in the process of withdrawing from the ICC.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, in an interview with the US television network NBC on Sunday, following his discussions with US President Donald Trump, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.
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