Russian President Vladimir Putin’s flight to Budapest has been planned via Turkey and Serbia due to EU airspace restrictions.
According to information cited by the Airlive portal from Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin will use a special route passing through Turkey and Serbia for his planned Budapest meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The route of Putin’s flight, which will be conducted with the Il-96-300PU state aircraft, has been agreed upon diplomatically between the parties. The flight is expected to bypass EU airspace, flying over the Black Sea, Turkey, the Mediterranean, and the Adriatic Sea, and partially through the airspace of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.
It is stated that the total route will be approximately 5,000 kilometres long, nearly three times the distance of a direct route to Hungary. Turkish diplomatic sources reported that the routes via Poland and Romania were completely cancelled due to security concerns and EU airspace restrictions for Russian aircraft.
To ensure flight security, Russian Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets stationed at the Hmeymim Air Base in Syria are planned to escort Putin’s aircraft. Additionally, Turkish F-16s, Serbian MiG-29s, and Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen jets are also expected to provide escort support along the sea and land segments of the route.
Meanwhile, according to previously reported information, the meeting between Putin and Trump in Budapest is planned for October 30 or 31. The meeting is expected to cover important agenda items concerning international security and regional stability.
