Flight up to 5000 km: media revealed Putin's possible route to the summit with Trump in Budapest

The plane of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will be forced to fly around most of the European Union countries to arrive in Hungary for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. The route can reach up to 5 thousand km. This is reported by the specialized publication Air Live, transmits UNN.

Details

"Due to ongoing EU sanctions and airspace restrictions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Russian government aircraft, including the presidential Il-96, are prohibited from flying over most of Europe. This means that Putin's route to Hungary must bypass the vast majority of EU member states, although Hungary itself is part of the bloc," the publication writes.

The publication suggests that the Russian dictator's plane will most likely fly through the Caspian Sea, Iran, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea, Montenegro, Serbia, and Hungary.

"The flight route could be about 5000 km and will increase the flight time by approximately 3 hours compared to a direct route of 1500 km. Although the Russian presidential aircraft is fully capable of long-haul flights, the extended route will require careful coordination with Turkish and Serbian air traffic control and potential contingency plans in case of weather or diplomatic complications," the publication adds.

It is noted that this is not the first time that Putin or other Russian officials have had to choose creative ways to participate in international summits. Since the introduction of Western airspace bans in early 2022, Russian diplomatic aircraft have had to make detours through Central Asia, the Middle East, or the Balkans to reach destinations that are several hours away.

"Putin's trip to Budapest highlights how geopolitical isolation continues to change even the logistics of diplomacy. Although Hungary offers a rare opportunity in the EU for a personal meeting with Trump, the flight there is by no means simple. As of now, no official flight plan has been released, but the Turkish-Serbian corridor seems to be the most practical route for the Russian president to arrive in Hungary," the publication notes.

Recall

US President Donald Trump announced that a high-level meeting between US and Russian teams will take place next week. He also stated that he would meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in an agreed location, Budapest, Hungary, to discuss the possibility of ending this "inglorious" war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump stated that he would hold a bilateral meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Hungary, but he would be in contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.