If Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Hungary, this country has an “obligation” to arrest him. So says foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg. Hammelburg stresses that Hungary is already a member of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.

Gergely Gulias, chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said Thursday that his country will not cooperate in arresting Putin if he sets foot on Hungarian soil. “If we look at Hungarian law, we see that we cannot arrest the Russian president, since the law was not introduced in Hungary.”

Read also | Hungary refuses to arrest Putin when he visits

This ruling will not be in line with the rules of the International Criminal Court. Recognition of the International Criminal Court, Hungary must also implement the rules of the body. It is the duty of every ICC member state to arrest Putin if he appears there. (…). Officially, Hungary has a duty to arrest someone if there is an outstanding arrest warrant, in this case for Putin.

The foreign commentator sees the statement of the Prime Minister in Orban as special. “He could have kept this a secret, because the chances of it happening are very slim.” But Hammelburg maintains that there was a political reason for the ruling. This is also political. The fact that it was said shows that Hungary thinks very differently from the EU and NATO.

Read also | The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Putin

Unlawfully deported children

Putin’s arrest warrant followed an investigation by the International Criminal Court into hundreds of illegally deported Ukrainian children. According to the ICC, there is “reason to believe” that Putin bears sole responsibility for this. Putin is only the third president to face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. However, it is unlikely that he will actually be arrested.