Bulgaria May Facilitate Putin‘s Travel to Trump Summit Despite ICC Warrant
SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgaria may allow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aircraft to traverse its airspace en route to a planned meeting with former U.S. President Donald trump,despite an outstanding arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The potential move, revealed October 16, 2025, considerably shortens the flight path from Moscow to Budapest, where the summit is expected to take place.
The possibility of Bulgarian airspace access arises as Putin seeks a route avoiding both European Union and Ukrainian airspace amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.while Bulgaria and Hungary both share a border with Serbia, a country with longstanding ties to Moscow, a flight path directly through Bulgaria would represent the most efficient route. The only alternative, according to reports, would involve flying over the Mediterranean Sea and then through Montenegro or Albania, also via Serbia.
The planned summit, announced following a phone call between Trump and Putin last week, has sparked controversy among EU leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been excluded from the discussions, drawing criticism from European diplomacy chief Kaya Callas and several Central and Eastern European nations. Conversely, ministers from Western EU countries like the Netherlands, Germany, and France have expressed cautious support for the meeting - the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Putin since August 2022 in Alaska.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a vocal critic of EU support for Ukraine, has cultivated close relationships with both Putin and Trump since 2010. Both Bulgaria and Hungary are currently parties to the ICC, which issued the warrant for Putin’s arrest in connection with the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children. Though, Hungary announced in April 2025 its intention to withdraw from the ICC, effective June 2026.
The date of the summit remains unconfirmed. The situation is being closely monitored by EU officials and international legal observers, given the implications of potentially facilitating the travel of an individual subject to an ICC arrest warrant.
