Russian President Vladimir Putin's special plane will have to draw an arc of 5,000 km in the sky, just to reach a destination that was originally only 1,500 km away in a straight line.
On the international stage, the reason for everything is that there is a simple meeting, which is evolving into a maze of geopolitical games. Russian President Putin and U.S. President Trump are scheduled to meet in Hungary’s capital Budapest, but the EU’s closure of Russian airspace has become a hard-to-pass barrier.
This was originally a dialogue about the European conflict and future trade, but because of what seemed to be a technical issue, That’s how Putin arrived at the meeting place, which also exposes the important relationship between the differences within the EU and the international community.
Schedule of Meeting: Budapest Agreement
With clear signs of a plan for a world-focused Trump meeting, U.S. President Trump announced on social media that he would have a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Budapest.
Trump also said that he had a long conversation with Putin on November 6, mainly about ending the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and subsequent Russian-U.S. trade.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban responded quickly, saying on social media that Hungary had begun to prepare for the meeting between the leaders of the United States and Russia, turning Hungary into an island of peace.
Russian Assistant President Ushakov subsequently confirmed the news, which also made the meeting more credible.
Flight obstacles: 5,000 kilometers of detour
For Putin, going to Budapest is definitely not a simple flight mission. Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the EU imposed an airspace ban on Russia, and Putin's special aircraft was banned from flying over the airspace of most EU member states.
According to the airline news site "airlive", Putin's special aircraft may have to circumnavigate south, passing through Turkey, Serbia's airspace to Hungary, the distance of this transit line is likely to be more than 5,000 kilometers, compared with the distance of direct flight is more than doubled.
The Russian newspaper also revealed specific lines: Putin’s special aircraft could pass through the Black Sea, Turkey, the coast of Greece, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia, and eventually enter Hungary. These lines are carefully designed to avoid all those EU countries that close their airspace to Russia.
Political Struggle: The Difficulties of the EU
The EU is in a difficult position on this issue, and a spokesman for the European Commission has also openly stated, The current EU sanctions do not restrict the Russian President and Foreign Minister from visiting the EU, so there is no obstacle to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Hungary.
The spokesman also emphasized that if the meeting between the United States and Russia will help promote lasting peace in Ukraine, no European Commission will welcome the matter.
A Reuters report on October 17 pointed out: “Imagine that it would be a embarrassing scene for the European Union when Russian President Putin took off the plane in Hungary and attended a meeting with Trump.
Avoid officials from Western European countries also express this ambivalence: This is embarrassing for both the EU and NATO, but if Trump can make a breakthrough, he should do it!
Hungary: Role of "Island of Peace"
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán also played a key role in this summit, the relationship between Orbán and the leadership of the European Union is long-standing disagreement, and in the Ukraine issue, the differences in relations with China are more obvious.
At the same time, he has a relatively good relationship with Trump and Putin, and Orban is one of the most renowned international supporters of Trump making America great again.
Trump himself once publicly praised Orban as a remarkable, great leader.
Red Snow Consult geoanalytic analyst Boothold Fairy-Analytics believes that choosing Budapest as the venue for the meeting would be one stone more than a bird for Putin.
He will hold talks on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in a EU country where EU leaders are absent, he said, adding that this is symbolically a heavy blow to Europe on multiple levels.
Political signals behind.
This simple meeting was also complicated by geographical factors, and Putin’s special route has become a powerful statement.
Macin Przydach, foreign policy adviser to the Polish president, predicted: Hungary will generally try to present itself as an important player, committed to working to bridge the gap between the two camps.
The EU's Aviation Safety Agency also has clear regulations. The risk ban applies to Russian-registered aircraft operated by Russian airlines.
But European Commission spokeswoman Anita Hipper also confirmed that such exemptions must be granted individually by member states, implying a solution.
The most ironic thing is that it was in Budapest in 1994 that the United States signed the Budapest Memorandum with Britain and Russia, providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
Now, in the same city, negotiations on the fate of Ukraine are being held again, but the situation is very different.
Putin's special plane finally landed on the Budapest River. How roundabout his flight route is? This flying Kremlin will surely carry extraordinary symbolic significance and land on the center stage of European geography.
So what do you think this summit in Budapest will bring a solution to the Russian conflict?
Reference sources of the article:
Wall Street News: Russian-American leaders plan to meet in Hungary 2025-10-18
2. CCTV news client "Orban: Have a phone call with Trump and Hungary has begun preparations for the Russian-US leaders' meeting" 2025-10-17
The EU says current sanctions do not restrict Putin's visit to Hungary 2025-10-17
Putin and Trump elect to meet in Hungary, “The EU is embarrassing” 2025-10-18