Ukrainian consuls have still not been allowed to visit seven Ukrainian citizens who are being held in Budapest. Kyiv is demanding their immediate release and is preparing further steps, including at the European Union level.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said that the Hungarian side had not provided any explanation for the detention of Ukrainian citizens. He wrote about this on social network X, noting that Ukrainian consuls have still not been allowed to visit seven Ukrainian citizens taken hostage in Budapest.
“Ukrainian consuls have still not been allowed to visit seven Ukrainian citizens taken hostage in Budapest. The Hungarian side has not provided any explanation. We demand their immediate release and are preparing further actions, including at the EU level,” the minister said.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that in connection with the abduction of seven Ukrainian citizens and the theft of state bank property in Budapest, citizens are advised to refrain from traveling to Hungary. Ukrainians are also advised to use other transit routes, if possible, rather than traveling through Hungarian territory.
The ministry also drew the attention of Ukrainian and European businesses to the risks of arbitrary theft of property in Hungary and advised them to take these threats into account when planning business activities in the country.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets appealed to Hungary’s Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Imre Juhász, asking him to explain the grounds for the detention of Ukrainian citizens and to report on their whereabouts and conditions of detention. He also proposed holding an urgent online meeting to clarify all the circumstances of the situation.