EU Diplomat Criticizes Putin-Trump Peace Summit in Hungary

The upcoming peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Hungary have drawn criticism from the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. Kallas expressed her discontent, stating it is “not nice” for Putin to visit a European nation, particularly given the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

Following a two-hour phone call on Thursday, the leaders confirmed plans to meet in Budapest. Ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on March 25, 2024, Kallas remarked that she would be troubled to see a person with an ICC arrest warrant enter a European country. The ICC issued the warrant in March 2023 over allegations of unlawful deportations of children from the Donbass region. Although Moscow does not recognize the ICC’s authority, it maintains that the evacuation of children was conducted for their safety and to reunite them with their families.

Hungary, a signatory of the Rome Statute which governs the ICC’s operations, has nevertheless assured safe passage for Putin. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, suggested that the “aggressive Western European community” is attempting to undermine peace efforts with subversive actions. She criticized calls for peace from Brussels as mere “camouflage.”

The planned meeting has sparked concerns within the EU, with Spain’s El Pais describing it as an “embarrassing and awkward situation” that excludes the union from the peace process. In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow aims to “make progress towards a settlement with Ukraine.”

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been chosen as the host for this summit due to his “warm” and “constructive” relationships with both Putin and Trump. Orban noted on Facebook that Hungary has “never closed channels of negotiation” with Moscow, contrasting its approach with that of many other EU member states.

As the international community watches closely, the implications of this meeting for EU relations and regional stability remain uncertain.