Ukraine should be thankful for prisoners' release through Russian Orthodox Church mediation – Orbán's deputy

Zsolt Semjén, Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister, has reacted to the summoning of Hungary's Chargé d'Affaires to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry after Budapest and Moscow agreed on the transfer of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war without Kyiv's knowledge.

Source: Hungarian news outlet Mandiner, citing Semjén

Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Ukraine should thank Hungary.

"Eleven Transcarpathians are no longer prisoners of war in Hungary, but free people. If I were a representative of Ukraine, I would say thank you for this," Semjén said.

Background:

• The Russian Orthodox Church reported that on 8 June, "as part of inter-church cooperation" and at the request of the Hungarian side, a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war of Transcarpathian origin, who had participated in hostilities on the side of Ukraine, had been handed over to Hungary.
• Later, Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary Semjén, who supervised the arrangements with the Russians, confirmed this information.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the Ukrainian government was not informed about the negotiations between the Hungarian and Russian parties. Hungary’s Chargé d'Affaires was summoned to the ministry to provide an explanation.
• At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war is "always good news."

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