Poland warns it may be forced to enforce ICC warrant if Putin’s plane enters its airspace.
Poland issued a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, cautioning him against flying through its airspace en route to a planned summit in Hungary with U.S. President Donald Trump. Warsaw said it might be compelled to enforce an international arrest warrant if he did so.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest, accusing him of unlawfully deporting hundreds of Ukrainian children. Moscow rejects the allegations and does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction.
“I cannot guarantee that an independent Polish court wouldn’t order the government to intercept such an aircraft and hand the suspect over to The Hague,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told Radio Rodzina.
As an ICC member, Poland is legally obligated to detain Putin should he enter its territory.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Mariyan Georgiev suggested that Sofia might allow Putin to use Bulgarian airspace if it could help advance peace efforts in Ukraine. Bulgaria’s foreign ministry said it had not yet received any official flight request from Russia.
