Putin's alleged plane route to Budapest for meeting with Trump revealed
Kyiv • UNN
Air Live has shown the alleged route of Vladimir Putin's plane to Budapest, where a summit with Donald Trump is planned. The 5000 km route will pass through the Caspian Sea, Iran, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea, Montenegro, Serbia, and Hungary, which will increase the flight time by 3 hours.
Air Live showed the probable route of the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to Budapest, where a new summit with US President Donald Trump is planned in the coming weeks, UNN reports.
Details
According to the publication, the Russian dictator's plane will likely fly through the Caspian Sea, Iran, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea, Montenegro, Serbia, and Hungary.
It is noted that Putin's route may be about 5000 km long, which will increase the flight time by approximately 3 hours compared to a direct route of 1500 km.
Due to ongoing EU sanctions and restrictions on the use of Russian airspace after 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 most EU member states, although Hungary itself is part of the bloc.
As the publication writes, the extended route requires close coordination with Turkish and Serbian air traffic control services, as well as the development of contingency plans for weather-related or diplomatic complications.
According to Air Live, after the introduction of Western restrictions on air travel in early 2022, Russian diplomatic aircraft are forced to bypass direct routes and fly through Central Asia, the Middle East, or the Balkans to reach previously accessible destinations within a few hours of flight.
Thus, in June 2023, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled a complex route through Iran and North Africa to get to South Africa for the BRICS meeting.
Recall
On Thursday, October 16, US President Donald Trump held a two-hour phone conversation with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Following the conversation, the White House chief announced a new summit with the Russian president, which will take place within the next two weeks in Budapest. The leaders will discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his readiness to provide conditions for the Russian-American summit in Budapest.