A Ukrainian MP doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin will fly to Hungary to meet with US leader Donald Trump because he is “paranoid“ and fears an assassination attempt.
According to the UNIAN agency, Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said that he cannot imagine Putin flying over Europe because he is a war criminal and a terrorist.
“He and his plane can be grounded and arrested – there is every reason for this. For example, there is an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice,” Merezhko said.
“Putin would be afraid to fly to Hungary because he is paranoid, afraid of assassination attempts, etc. He is afraid to fly through European airspace. He is afraid because, despite all the problems, Hungary remains a European democracy. A dictator can fly to a totalitarian country, like China or North Korea, and not be afraid. He can fly to an American military base because he knows that the Americans can guarantee his safety there. But I doubt he would dare to fly to Budapest“, Merezhko said.
Hungary announced that it is already preparing for a meeting between Putin and Trump, the main topic of which will be the war in Ukraine. However, a specific date for the meeting between the two leaders has not yet been announced.
Merezhko said that the war in Ukraine cannot end while Putin is in power. “While he is in power, he has no interest in ending the war. Putin is paranoid about destroying Ukraine. For him, this is the most important issue for his political and possibly physical survival,“ the Ukrainian lawmaker said.