Russia's Presidential Plane Could Fly Through EU Airspace to Budapest Amid Planned US-Russia Summit - The Kremlin has made it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin's "Flying Kremlin" plane can travel through the airspace of an EU country if needed, but so far no member state has agreed to let the aircraft pass through its skies.
The modified Ilyushin Il-96 airliner is equipped with four engines and defense systems, making it capable of flying long distances without refueling. Russian planes are banned from US airspace due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but there's still a grey area surrounding their use over EU territory.
Budapest, Hungary, has expressed willingness to host a summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump next month, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "the presidents' meeting is not ruled out." However, Putin would need permission from an individual member state before his plane can break the EU ban.
European Commission officials suggest that this might be feasible as long as it's cleared by a specific country individually. In other words, there isn't one blanket exemption for all 27 EU countries.
The planned summit could give Hungary an opportunity to improve ties with both Russia and the US. For Putin, it will be easier to travel through Turkey before entering Bulgaria or Romania's airspace, which would then need to clear Russian planes flying over their territory.
On a separate note, Hungary has been trying to distance itself from European norms by pulling out of several international bodies, including the International Criminal Court. This might make the hosting of such an event easier for Budapest.
Trump also expressed support for Orban during a phone call last week and stated that he liked him "very much." The Hungarian prime minister is now trailing behind in polls ahead of his spring election.
The modified Ilyushin Il-96 airliner is equipped with four engines and defense systems, making it capable of flying long distances without refueling. Russian planes are banned from US airspace due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but there's still a grey area surrounding their use over EU territory.
Budapest, Hungary, has expressed willingness to host a summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump next month, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "the presidents' meeting is not ruled out." However, Putin would need permission from an individual member state before his plane can break the EU ban.
European Commission officials suggest that this might be feasible as long as it's cleared by a specific country individually. In other words, there isn't one blanket exemption for all 27 EU countries.
The planned summit could give Hungary an opportunity to improve ties with both Russia and the US. For Putin, it will be easier to travel through Turkey before entering Bulgaria or Romania's airspace, which would then need to clear Russian planes flying over their territory.
On a separate note, Hungary has been trying to distance itself from European norms by pulling out of several international bodies, including the International Criminal Court. This might make the hosting of such an event easier for Budapest.
Trump also expressed support for Orban during a phone call last week and stated that he liked him "very much." The Hungarian prime minister is now trailing behind in polls ahead of his spring election.
like, we all know how Russia plays games with international politics... anyway, the fact that no EU country has agreed to let Putin's plane fly through their skies is a good thing,imo. seems like Europe's finally getting wise about Russian planes 
. but at the same time, Hungary being super friendly towards both Russia & the US might just make them seem even more desperate 
... can't say I trust this whole setup yet 
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think about it, russian president's plane can just fly over the eu airspace without any major issues... but at the same time, hungary seems to be trying its best to stay neutral and not get caught up in all the politics 
which makes total sense considering trump has already expressed support for orban... maybe it's a good idea for budapest to host this summit and just try to keep things diplomatic... or maybe it's a clever ploy by the russians to get more airtime and shift the focus away from ukraine... either way, it's gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out 
! But can you believe the Kremlin's plane can just fly through EU airspace if needed? 
Like, isn't that a big deal or what? 
. It could be a game-changer for their politics, especially since Trump already showed support for Orban 
. I'm keeping an eye on this situation and will definitely be sharing my thoughts via #RussiaMeetsUS and #EU politics 
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Either way, it's interesting that Putin's plane can fly through EU airspace without a blanket exemption - it just highlights how grey areas like this exist in international politics 
. And what's up with Orban trailing behind in polls? Maybe he really does need some Trump-esque charm to get his people excited again 
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, flying through EU airspace like it's nobody's business! 
. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out, and what other strings are being pulled behind the scenes 
️ That gives me the heebie-jeebies. On the other hand, Hungary is trying to step away from European norms and all that, so maybe this is a way for them to stay relevant in the region?