Moscow and Washington are preparing for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump in the Hungarian capital within the next two weeks, although a specific date has not yet been set. The leaders of the two countries discussed the possible summit by telephone on Thursday.

"We respectfully welcome President Vladimir Putin," local media quoted Szijjártó as saying at a press conference.

He assured that the Hungarian government guarantees Putin free entry and exit from the country.

This does not need to be coordinated with any other party,"because we are a sovereign state," the Hungarian Foreign Minister stated.

Hungary announced in April that it planned to withdraw from the ICC, and its parliament approved the decision in May. However, the withdrawal will not take effect until a year after the official announcement, meaning Hungary will still be legally obligated to arrest Putin if he visits the country.

Even after withdrawal, Hungary will still have to cooperate in ongoing investigations initiated before withdrawal, although the court's enforcement powers are limited.

The ICC accuses Putin of abducting and deporting children and minors from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia. It issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023.