Bulgaria has offered to allow a flight carrying Russian president Vladimir Putin through its airspace in order to enable a planned meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump in Budapest later this month, according to Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev:
When efforts are made to achieve peace, if the condition for this is to have such a meeting, it is most logical that such a meeting should be mediated in [all] possible ways…. How is it proposed to hold the meeting if one of the participants cannot get to it?
No request has yet been made by Moscow for the overflight, a Bulgarian official confirmed. Bulgaria does not share a border with Hungary, but both countries border Serbia, whose historic ties with Moscow make the route feasible and shorter than alternatives over the Mediterranean.
Preparations are underway in Budapest for the peace talks, which aim to address the conflict in Ukraine. Hungarian authorities have confirmed they will facilitate the safe arrival and departure of President Putin, despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the Russian leader.
The Budapest meeting would mark the second summit between Trump and Putin this year, following an inconclusive Alaska meeting in August. Announced on October 16th, the summit is framed as an effort to advance diplomatic talks, with potential economic and humanitarian considerations cited.
Hungary’s role as host reflects its focus on facilitating negotiations under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who welcomed the announcement, stating
The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world. We are ready!
Bulgaria and Hungary are members of the ICC, which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin; Hungary, however, also announced its withdrawal from the ICC in April 2025, effective from June 2026.
