EU Discusses Possibility of Putin’s Entry Despite Sanctions
European diplomatic circles and official institutions are once again discussing the potential entry of Russian leader Vladimir Putin into the European Union.
According to European Commission spokeswoman Anita Hipper, although Putin’s and Lavrov’s assets have been frozen in accordance with sanctions, this does not prohibit their crossing the EU borders.
“They are not subject to any travel bans — that has never been the case,” she stated during a briefing.
There was also mention of a possible meeting between US and Russian presidents during the upcoming summit in Hungary.
The EC representative emphasized that this event is yet to be confirmed, and they will not comment on hypothetical scenarios.
Meanwhile, journalists inquired whether a Russian aircraft with high-level officials could enter EU airspace considering sanctions on Russian civil aviation.
The European Commission responded that such decisions are made individually by member states.
Recently, US President Donald Trump announced that he had spoken with Vladimir Putin and that they agreed to meet in Budapest within the next two weeks.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán confirmed that preparations for the summit are underway.
Conversely, the Kremlin stated that they do not yet know the route of Putin’s flight to Budapest.