Hungary: We will not implement the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Putin if he visits the country

Why does Hungary object to the arrest warrant?

• Gergely Gulias, chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, told a news conference in Budapest that Putin’s arrest was against Hungarian law because the country had not included the ICC statute in its legal system..
• The court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, last week issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him personally of being responsible for the kidnapping of children from Ukraine..
• Golias said that the statute of the International Criminal Court, of which Hungary is a member, contradicts the Hungarian constitution, and therefore Putin’s arrest violates Hungarian law..
• Golias said he considered the memorandum useless. “I think these decisions are not the best because they lead to escalation and not towards peace,” he added“.

The prospect of Putin facing trial in The Hague is highly unlikely, since Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court or extradite its citizens. However, the warrant could limit the Russian president’s ability to travel to the court’s 123 member states, which could arrest him in implementation of the warrant..

Hungary’s position on the war

• Since the war in Ukraine, now in its third year, Hungary has condemned the war but refused to supply arms to Ukraine or allow them to be transported across its borders. It has also threatened to veto some EU sanctions against Moscow, and has already blocked the adoption of a large EU funding package for Kiev..
• Earlier in the week Hungary refused to join other EU members in signing a resolution supporting the International Criminal Court’s warrant against Putin.