Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga sharply criticized the statements made by Hungarian Transport Minister Janos Lazar regarding the detained Ukrainian citizens and the blocking of Ukrainian assets. The Ukrainian diplomat considers the behavior of Hungarian officials to be open blackmail and calls on the international community to condemn such actions.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Reaction to the Actions of the Hungarian Authorities
In his statement, Andriy Sybiga emphasized that representatives of the Hungarian government no longer hide their intentions and effectively acknowledge the taking of hostages and the appropriation of funds for the purpose of extortion. The minister expressed confidence that such methods should receive a clear international definition.
“Hungarian officials no longer conceal their blackmail. They openly admit to taking hostages and stealing money for ransom demands. Such actions must be named for what they are: state terrorism. We call for clear international condemnation.”
The basis for this reaction was Janos Lazar’s statement, in which he noted that the actions of the Hungarian side were deliberate: “What we did, we did intentionally.” According to him, Hungary does not plan to return the detained funds and expects new financial inflows through its territory. This specifically concerns the Druzhba oil pipeline and the transit of finances from Ukraine.
Details of the Incident with the Cash Transporters
On March 6, Andriy Sybiga reported that the Hungarian authorities detained seven Ukrainian citizens – employees of the state bank Oschadbank, who were conducting a cash transport route between Austria and Ukraine. The National Police of Ukraine has initiated criminal proceedings regarding the kidnapping of the employees and the service vehicle on Hungarian territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Ukrainian citizens to refrain from traveling to Hungary or transiting through the country due to the incident. At the same time, Oschadbank stated that they had not received any official notifications from the Hungarian side before or after the detention. Bank representatives emphasized that they see no legal grounds for the detention of cash transport vehicles and personnel, and the transportation of foreign currency and banking metals has been conducted regularly by land since the beginning of the full-scale war.
According to Oschadbank, the detained vehicles contained cash and valuables belonging to the state financial institution: 40 million USD, 35 million euros, and 9 kg of gold.
Later, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that the country’s authorities have questions regarding the transportation of significant amounts of cash through their territory. He emphasized that the government does not understand why banks do not conduct settlements with each other without the need for the physical transportation of such large sums through Hungary.
Szijjarto stressed that until comprehensive explanations regarding the origin and purpose of the funds are received from Kyiv, Hungarian law enforcement will conduct a thorough investigation.
Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs reported that all seven detained Ukrainian citizens have been identified. According to him, they will be deported from the country.