Ukraine accuses Hungary of detentions and theft

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has accused Hungary of detaining seven employees of the Ukrainian state bank Oschadbank while they were transporting cash from Austria to Ukraine.

Sybiha said their current whereabouts were unknown. ‘In fact, this is hostage-taking and theft of money. It is state terrorism and extortion,’ he wrote on the social network X.

Ukraine has sent a diplomatic note to Budapest demanding the immediate release of its citizens and plans to ask the European Union to assess Hungary’s actions.

Oschadbank said that, according to GPS signals, the vehicles were located near a Hungarian security services building in Budapest. The employees were transporting about $40m, €35m and nine kilograms of gold.

The dispute between the countries escalated after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked a €90bn European Union financial aid package for Ukraine. Orbán also said Budapest would use ‘political and financial tools’ to force Kyiv to resume oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that if Ukraine did not receive weapons because of the blockade, he might give Orbán’s address to the Ukrainian armed forces ‘so they can talk to him in their own language’.

Ukraine says the flow of oil was interrupted by a Russian attack on pipeline infrastructure and that repairs could be completed in about six weeks.

(reuters, est)