Can Putin's 'Flying Kremlin' travel through EU airspace to Budapest?

Russian President Vladimir Putin's heavily armoured presidential plane, dubbed the "Flying Kremlin", may be allowed to fly through EU airspace en route from Moscow to Budapest for a planned summit with US President Donald Trump. The aircraft has four engines and is equipped with an array of defence systems.

The move would require special permission from EU member states, but some officials suggest this could be granted if Putin's plane flies over the eastern coast of the Black Sea through Turkey, Bulgaria, and either Serbia or Romania into Hungary.

Serbia, a non-EU candidate for membership in NATO, has direct flights to Moscow via its own airspace. The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, knows Putin well and may be willing to grant permission for the aircraft to pass over his country's airspace.

Romania and Bulgaria are also likely to play a role in allowing the "Flying Kremlin" to fly through their airspaces, with both countries building NATO bases as part of efforts to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank.

But even if these EU member states agree to grant permission for Putin's plane to pass over their airspace, it is unclear how he will avoid flying directly over Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine has been a major sticking point in relations between Russia and Western countries, and the European Union has imposed significant sanctions on Russia in response.

The summit in Budapest may help to ease tensions, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban having close ties with both Putin and Trump. For Orban, hosting the summit is likely a win, as it will give him an opportunity to present himself as a mediator and boost his popularity before elections next spring.

However, European leaders are unlikely to be happy about Orban's decision to host the summit without EU involvement, particularly given the bloc's strong backing of Ukraine. The tensions around the summit reflect the complexities of Russia's relations with Western countries, and the challenges facing Putin as he seeks to build relationships in Europe while maintaining his country's international isolation.

can you imagine flying over ukraine on that thing ? gotta be a major no-go for EU leaders. orban's gonna get roasted for hosting without eu involvement, IMO . but hey, maybe the summit will actually help ease tensions...? it'd be pretty crazy if russia and usa were able to find common ground over a conference table . wouldnt surprise me if hungary plays key role in making this happen tho - orban's got some serious diplomatic chops .

my heart goes out to ukraine right now, all that suffering & pain ... i can only imagine how scary it must be for them... but at least there's hope with this summit maybe? let's keep our fingers crossed that orban can help bring some peace & calm to the situation & if serbia does allow that plane to fly through their airspace, it'll definitely be a bold move ... what do u think will happen?

I don't know about this, I mean I think it's a good thing that Putin's plane might be allowed to fly through EU airspace, but can we really trust Serbia to grant permission? Aleksandar Vucic is friends with Putin, and we all know how that works out. And what about the Ukraine situation? We need to make sure Russia doesn't just use this summit as a way to bypass sanctions and fly under the radar. I'm not saying Orban's being bad or anything, but he should at least try to get EU input on this. It would be weird if Hungary was hosting a major summit with both Putin and Trump without the EU's blessing. Still, it might help ease tensions and give everyone a chance to talk things through... fingers crossed!

idk how many times we gotta go through this Putin flying thingy lol... anywayz, if he can get it thru EU airspace w/o any issues, that's def a win for Orban . but let's be real, the EU is all about Ukraine right now, and if they find out Orban's hosting a summit w/ Putin without their involvement, they'll be like "nah, mate" .

i mean, on one hand, it's not like Russia hasn't been through some stuff w/ Ukraine, but on the other hand, isn't that what summits are for? . and what about those sanctions? gotta feel bad for Putin trying to navigate all these international drama... poor dude .

anywayz, let's hope this summit brings some actual progress (or at least a nice cup of coffee) to Russia-EU relations ️. fingers crossed!

This is gonna be a wild ride! I'm thinking the EU is gonna go for it, but they'll make sure to draw the line over Ukraine . Orban knows how to play both sides and he's probably counting on that summit to boost his popularity . Meanwhile, Putin's gotta navigate these tricky waters without getting too much flak from Europe. I wonder if Trump is just along for the ride or actually cares about what goes down in Budapest ? This whole thing feels like a balancing act and I'm here for it!

OMG, this is crazy ! Like, can't believe Putin's plane is even going through EU airspace without a major controversy . But for real though, it's all about the diplomacy and who's gonna get the invite to Budapest first . Orban's trying to play both sides like a pro , but I'm not sure how long that'll last . Meanwhile, Ukraine's still dealing with the aftermath of the conflict, and we're just hoping for some goodwill vibes . It's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out #FlyTheFriendlySkies #DiplomacyGoals #EUvsRussia

gotta wonder if this is a clever move by Hungary to get on good terms with both Russia & US. I mean, who wouldn't want to be seen as a diplomatic hub, right? But seriously, it's all about the EU member states playing nice and granting permission for Putin's plane to fly through their airspace... and not having to deal with that whole Ukraine situation ... maybe this summit will help ease tensions and give everyone a chance to catch their breath ?

omg i'm so curious how this is gonna go down the fact that russia is even considering flying through EU airspace is already kinda shocking idk if we'll ever see russia and western europe getting along on an equal footing at least orban is trying to present himself as a mediator which is cool fingers crossed it all works out peacefully

I wonder if this is a test of EU flexibility or just a power play by Putin ... I mean, what's the real intention behind this summit? Is it just about politics or is there something more at stake? Like, how can they really trust Putin with that aircraft? And what's going to happen when he flies over Ukraine? Are the EU leaders just going to turn a blind eye? It feels like a delicate dance between power and diplomacy... will Hungary's role as mediator be enough to ease tensions or is it just a cosmetic measure?

I'm all about minimizing risks when it comes to travel, especially for our leaders ️. If Putin's plane can fly through Turkey, Bulgaria, and Serbia, that's a pretty efficient route . But have you guys thought of how they'll handle the Ukraine thing? It's like, can't you just take a detour or something? But seriously, it's not gonna be easy for EU leaders to swallow Orban hosting this summit without their involvement . It's like, one thing they need is more transparency, not less .

I'm low-key worried about this whole thing... like if Putin's plane is gonna fly over Ukraine, that's just gonna be a major diplomatic headache for everyone involved . I get that Orban wants to present himself as a mediator and boost his popularity, but EU leaders are right to be skeptical - we can't have Russia just waltzing through our airspace without some serious repercussions .

And what about the sanctions? Are we just gonna roll them back because of this summit? It doesn't seem like a smart move to me... . I'm all for diplomacy and building relationships, but you gotta draw a line somewhere. Putin's gotta know that his actions have consequences, right?

so they're gonna let putin fly right over ukraine... like, isn't that a bit dodgy? i mean, they do say he'll avoid flying directly over ukraine but can we really trust him to follow those rules? and orban's whole thing just feels like a power play to me... hosting the summit without EU involvement is just gonna raise more questions than answers plus, if trump's involved, that's just gonna make things even more complicated what's next?

oh man this is soooo interesting I just can't believe that Putin's plane is gonna fly through EU airspace lol imagine the drama that'll go down if they try to avoid Ukraine tho anyway i think it's cool that Orban is trying to play mediator and all but at the same time i feel like he's also kinda being used by both sides

omg what if they fly over ukraine tho like its not a big deal or something i mean ill just be over here eating my pizza and wondering why they cant just avoid ukraine lol anyway russia and europe summing up but isnt this just gonna make trump happy who likes Putin btw what time is the summit again?

I'm low-key surprised that the EU is even considering letting Putin's plane fly through their airspace . I mean, Ukraine is still dealing with the aftermath of the conflict, and Russia hasn't exactly been on good terms with Western countries lately... it just feels like a big ol' PR move for Orban to try and get in good with both sides . And can we talk about how weird it is that Trump is even hosting a summit with Putin? Like, what's the endgame here? Is it really going to help ease tensions or just be a bunch of photo ops?