The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga commented on the public statements by Hungary’s Minister of Transport János Lázár regarding the fate of detained Ukrainians and their assets, calling the situation a threat to diplomatic relations and international law.
Hungarian officials no longer hide their blackmail. They openly admit to taking hostages and stealing money in order to demand a ransom. Such actions should be called by their real names: state terrorism. We call for a clear international condemnation
– Andriy Sibiga
In response to these remarks, Lázár said that “what we did, we did not do by accident” and assured that returning the money to Ukraine is not planned – it will remain in Hungary and await the opening of the Druzhba oil pipeline and new deliveries through Hungary.
We will not return the money to them. The money will remain here for now; we are waiting for the opening of the Druzhba pipeline (referring to the Druzhba) and for new Ukrainian monetary deliveries through Hungary
– János Lázár
On March 6, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga reported that Hungarian authorities “took hostage” seven Ukrainian citizens – employees of the state bank Oschadbank who were operating a route between Austria and Ukraine in two armored cash-in-transit vehicles. Ukraine’s National Police launched criminal proceedings for the kidnapping of the citizens and the bank’s official transport on Hungarian territory.
The Foreign Ministry advised Ukrainian citizens to refrain from traveling to Hungary or transiting through it in light of the investigation and detentions.
Oschadbank stated that it had received no notifications from the Hungarian side before or after the detention of its employees in the country. The bank noted the absence of any legally grounded grounds for the detention of the armored vehicles and the personnel accompanying them. According to the bank, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the transport of foreign currency and bank metals has been carried out predominantly by land, and such trips occur weekly.
Oschadbank also clarified that the valuables found in the vehicles belonged to the state Ukrainian bank – specifically 40 million US dollars, 35 million euros, and 9 kilograms of gold.
This is a huge amount of cash; why do Ukrainians need to transport such a large sum? If it is true that this is a transaction between banks, then the question arises why banks do not settle this between themselves by transfer, why such a large amount of cash needs to travel, and through Hungary
– Péter Szijjártó
until Kyiv provides clear explanations regarding the origin and purpose of the funds, the Hungarian authorities will conduct a thorough investigation
– Péter Szijjártó
According to Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration, seven Ukrainian citizens have been confirmed; three of them are to be expelled from the country. Such steps come amid strained relations between Kyiv and Budapest in the context of the detention.
Reaction and consequences for relations
The current situation raises serious concerns both in Kyiv and in the international community. It casts a shadow over the stability of cross-border and economic processes between Ukraine and Hungary. Both sides call for adherence to the law, avoiding escalation, and ensuring a transparent investigation with a clear explanation of the origin of the funds and the actions of both states.