Transfer of Ukrainian POWs to Hungary was driven by Orbán’s political interests – Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, says that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had a personal interest in the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia to Hungary.
European Pravda reported that Kuleba made this statement during a 24-hour newscast on Monday.
"There was one simple goal: Viktor Orbán had to show Hungarians both inside and outside Hungary that he is their sole defender. This whole operation was implemented in the political interests of one person," the foreign minister believes.
Kuleba said the removal of the Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia was "essentially a secret operation" in which, according to unofficial information, "other players were involved, and not only from Hungary".
"We are told that those people are free to do what they want. In fact, this is not the case. They are under supervision - and even meetings with relatives here are extremely limited. The consul and ambassador are not allowed to visit them despite persistent requests from us. And we are now taking action using all levers to gain access to our citizens and bring them home," he emphasised.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated on 19 June that the conditions of residence for the Ukrainian prisoners transferred from Russia to Hungary are such that they cannot be described as having free status. Furthermore, the Hungarian side has not entered into constructive dialogue with Kyiv on this issue.
However, Orbán's administration claimed that they had informed Kyiv of the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war to Hungary when it happened and that they had ceased to be prisoners once they arrived in Hungary.
According to unofficial information, the release of the eleven Ukrainian prisoners of war and their transportation to Hungary may have been a personal initiative of Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén which no one else in the government knew about.
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