Hungary will have to abide by International Criminal Court (ICC) regulations in the event of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on its soil, a German foreign ministry spokesman said today. However, Minister Johan Vandeful welcomed the prospect of a meeting between the two leaders, which he described as a “good development”.

Although the Hungarian government has announced its withdrawal from ICC regulations, its new status will not come into force until April next year, a foreign ministry spokesman said. “Therefore, Hungary remains obliged to execute the arrest warrant against Putin if the Russian president enters the country,” he added.

However, Hungary has made it clear that it does not intend to arrest the Russian president if he goes to Budapest for a summit with the US president. “We also await President Vladimir Putin with respect,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said at a press conference in Budapest, noting that the Hungarian government guarantees the Russian president unhindered entry and exit from Hungary and the successful conduct of his negotiations. No coordination with anyone is required for this, “because we are a sovereign country,” the minister continued.

The German Foreign Minister, for his part, expressed his satisfaction with the possibility of a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. “I think it’s actually a good development that the talks are finally going on,” said Mr Vadeful, stressing that he saw the meeting as a harbinger of the talks that should then take place between Russia and Ukraine.