The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, despite being on the European Union’s sanctions list, is not restricted from crossing EU borders. The EU sanctions involve freezing Putin’s and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s assets, but the entry ban does not apply to them. This was officially stated by the European Commission.
This is reported by Kyiv24
European Commission’s Explanation on Sanctions Regime
During a briefing, European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper emphasized that travel restrictions do not apply to either the Russian president or the foreign minister:
“We have frozen the assets of Putin and Lavrov, but the entry ban does not apply to them – it never has… Currently, the meeting (of the US and Russian presidents in Hungary – ed.) is not confirmed, we will not comment on hypothetical scenarios, but if it happens, then factually – they are not subject to a travel ban.”
Additionally, journalists inquired with the European Commission whether a plane carrying a high-level Russian delegation would be allowed to pass through EU airspace, given the sanctions against Russian civil aviation. The institution explained that the final decision regarding permission to enter airspace remains with each individual EU member state.
Possible Summit in Budapest and Flight Routes
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban noted that preparations are already underway for a possible meeting between Putin and former US President Donald Trump in Budapest. Such a choice of location may help avoid the execution of an arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court, as Hungary has announced its withdrawal from this organization.
European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill emphasized that President Ursula von der Leyen supports all efforts that contribute to achieving a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine. According to Gill, the EU continues to take all possible measures to support Ukraine and weaken Russia’s capabilities to wage war.
It is known that for a flight from Russia to Hungary, the plane must pass through the airspace of at least one of the EU and NATO member countries, such as Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, or Bulgaria. Alternatively, a theoretical route could go through the Black Sea and Turkey, but this also requires coordination with NATO controlling bodies.
In 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov already made an official visit to Malta, which is an EU member, to participate in an OSCE meeting. However, prior to this, Malta revoked the visa of the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.