Hungary has officially declared its decision to depart from the International Criminal Court (ICC), just ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s meeting with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently facing an ICC-issued arrest warrant.

“Hungary will leave the International Criminal Court. The government will initiate the formal exit process on Thursday, following constitutional and international legal protocols,” wrote Gergely Gulyas, Orban’s chief of staff, in a Facebook post on Thursday.

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Orban had signaled intentions to revisit Hungary’s involvement with the ICC earlier this year, following sanctions placed by U.S. President Donald Trump on ICC prosecutor Karim Khan. “Hungary must reconsider its role in an international body currently sanctioned by the U.S.,” Orban stated in a February post on X.

Hungary’s parliament, predominantly controlled by the ruling Fidesz party, is expected to approve the withdrawal legislation. The ICC has not issued an official response to Hungary’s move as of yet.

Under the court’s rules, a member state's exit becomes effective one year after formally notifying the UN Secretary-General in writing of its intention to withdraw.

To date, only Burundi and the Philippines have left the ICC.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu touched down in Budapest early Thursday morning. This marks his first visit to Europe since 2023, despite an active ICC warrant accusing him of war crimes connected to events in Gaza.

Israel has dismissed the ICC’s allegations, denouncing them as politically driven and rooted in antisemitism. Officials argue the court discredited itself by targeting the democratically elected leader of a state acting in self-defense.

Orban invited Netanyahu last November, shortly after the ICC made its announcement about the warrant.

Though Hungary was still a signatory to the court at the time, Orban pledged that the country would not enforce the ICC warrant, labeling the court’s move as a politically charged intervention in a current conflict.

The ICC, based in The Hague, expressed disapproval of Hungary’s refusal to recognize and enforce the warrant against Netanyahu.

Judges at the court found credible grounds to believe Netanyahu and his former defense minister committed crimes such as murder, forced starvation, and persecution, forming part of what they termed a large-scale and systematic assault on Gaza’s civilian populace.

However, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah emphasized that determining the validity of court rulings isn't within the prerogative of member states.

Hungary initially signed the Rome Statute — the founding treaty of the ICC — in 1999 and ratified it in 2001 during Orban’s first tenure as prime minister.

Gulyas noted last November that while Hungary had ratified the Rome Statute, it was never formally integrated into domestic legislation, effectively preventing enforcement of ICC measures within Hungary’s borders.