Ukraine's PM links detention of Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards in Hungary to Szijjártó's Moscow trip

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has said the detention of seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards in Hungary came shortly after Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó had visited Moscow and may be linked to contacts between Hungarian authorities and the Kremlin.

Svyrydenko said Hungary's actions towards the Ukrainians resemble Moscow's practices of the 1990s.

She said the situation would be strange were it not taking place just days after figures close to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had visited the Kremlin.

She said the Ukrainian government is demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens.

"The Ukrainian government is demanding an immediate release of our citizens. We will take appropriate action to hold those responsible for their detention accountable," Svyrydenko wrote on X.

Svyrydenko also called on international partners to respond strongly to the incident.

"Such arbitrary detentions demand clear international condemnation," she added.

The National Bank of Ukraine reported on the night of 5-6 March that the Hungarian authorities had seized seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards and a large amount of currency.

It later emerged that the cash-in-transit vehicles seized by Hungarian law enforcement officers have been hidden at Hungary's Counterterrorism Centre. It is worth noting that this agency has previously taken part in anti-Ukrainian provocations organised by Orbán's regime. The whereabouts of the bank employees remain unknown.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reported that Hungary has still not granted Ukrainian consuls access to the seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards.

Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration reported the seizure of cash-in-transit vehicles and bank employees from Ukraine, stating that the detention was carried out "on suspicion of money laundering".

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó arrived in Moscow on 4 March to ensure that the oil and gas needed for Hungary's energy supply will remain available during the crisis.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the leaders of Hungary and Slovakia for communicating with Ukraine in a purely pragmatic manner about problems with the Druzhba oil pipeline after Russian strikes, while refusing to acknowledge the cost of the transit and repairs borne by Ukraine. Péter Szijjártó said that the lack of oil transportation via the Druzhba pipeline is an attack on Hungary carried out by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.