August M
A fresh dispute between Kyiv and Budapest has escalated after Ukraine accused Hungary of detaining employees from a state bank transporting cash through the country.
The incident comes as political tensions rise between the two governments over EU funding for Ukraine and the future of a key Russian oil pipeline, reports Reuters.
Detentions reported
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Hungary had detained seven employees of Ukraine’s state savings bank, Oshchadbank.
Writing on the social media platform X, he said the staff were travelling through Hungary while transporting funds from Austria back to Ukraine.
Sybiha said their current location was unknown and accused Hungarian authorities of seizing both the employees and the money.
“In fact, we are talking about Hungary taking hostages and stealing money,” Sybiha wrote.
Cash and gold
According to Oshchadbank, GPS data showed the vehicles carrying the bank staff near a Hungarian security service building in Budapest.
The bank said the convoy was transporting $40 million, 35 million euros and 9 kilograms of gold.
Sybiha said Ukraine had sent an official diplomatic note demanding the immediate release of the employees.
He also said Kyiv would ask the European Union to assess what he called Hungary’s unlawful actions.
Leaders clash
The developments followed a public exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Zelenskiy criticised Hungary for blocking a proposed €90 billion European Union aid package intended to support Ukraine.
“We hope a certain person in the EU will not keep blocking the 90 billion… and Ukrainian soldiers will have weapons,” Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv.
Pipeline dispute
Hungary has linked its opposition to the aid package and new EU sanctions on Russia to the shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Budapest says Ukraine deliberately halted oil supplies carried through the pipeline to Hungarian refineries.
Kyiv says the disruption followed Russian attacks on the infrastructure in January and that repairs are ongoing.
Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the Soviet-era pipeline could resume operations within about six weeks.
War pressures grow
Hungary and Slovakia remain the only EU countries still importing Russian oil through the pipeline.
Orban, speaking at a business conference in Budapest, suggested Hungary would use other means to pressure Ukraine.
“I would like to make clear that we will win, and we will win with force.”
“We have no military force for this, I can reassure everyone that this is not part of our plans. But we have political and financial tools.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to defend against Russian attacks along a 1,200 km front line as the war enters its fourth year.
Despite facing a larger and better equipped army, Ukrainian forces regained more territory in February than they lost for the first time since 2023, according to analysis by the Finland-based Black Bird Group.
Sources: Reuters
