Sikorski to Hungary: If Your Court Won’t Stop Putin’s Arrest—Let Ukraine Cut Your Oil

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has responded to criticism from his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, following comments Sikorski made about the potential detention of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s aircraft if it entered Polish airspace.

According to posts by both ministers on X, the exchange began after Sikorski told local media that Poland could not guarantee a Russian government plane would not be detained en route to Budapest.

He referred to the possibility of an independent court ordering the aircraft grounded to facilitate Putin’s transfer to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Szijjártó, in turn, criticized Sikorski’s statement, questioning the independence of Polish courts. He referenced a recent case involving Volodymyr Zhuravlov, a Ukrainian citizen accused of sabotaging the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Polish courts refused to extradite Zhuravlov to Germany and ordered his release. “Radosław Sikorski speaks of an independent court, which—under instruction from [Polish Prime Minister] Donald Tusk—refused to extradite a terrorist who blew up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” Szijjártó wrote.

Sikorski defended the ruling, stating he was “proud of the Polish court,” which found that sabotage against an aggressor “is not a crime.”

He added, “I hope your brave compatriot, Major Magyar,” referring to Ukrainian drone commander Robert Brovdi, “will eventually disable the pipeline that fuels Putin’s war machine, and that you’ll start receiving your oil via Croatia.”

The reference was to Hungary’s ongoing reliance on Russian crude oil delivered through the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine.

Earlier, it was reported that US and Russian high‑level advisors will prepare for a possible Trump‑Putin summit in Budapest, following a call between the two leaders.

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