2023-06-22 00:22:55
Ukraine announced on Wednesday that it had returned three prisoners of war released by Russia and handed them over to Hungary, but criticized Budapest for obstructing the process.
Meanwhile, the European Union said it would seek explanations from bloc member Hungary on the issue.
Ukraine revealed earlier this week that Hungary is blocking entry to Ukrainian officials trying to communicate with 11 former prisoners of war handed over to Budapest by Moscow.
This incident adds more tension to the relationship between Ukraine and Hungary, which maintains its ties with Moscow despite the Russian invasion.
“I confirm that three former prisoners of war have been returned to Ukraine,” Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets told state television.
He accused Hungary of “pimping” Russia by preventing it from communicating with some prisoners and carrying out the “secret” handover from Russia.
“I interpret Hungary’s actions as a violation of international humanitarian law,” he added.
Hungary, however, denied preventing Ukraine from meeting former prisoners of war on its soil.
The European Union considered that any liberation of Ukrainian citizens must be carried out in coordination with Kiev.
“The Hungarian authorities must explain in detail the role they played in freeing Ukrainian citizens from Russia,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told reporters in Brussels.
He added that the European Commission would ask the Hungarian authorities for more detailed information.
The Russian Orthodox Church reported earlier this month that a group of Ukrainians from Transcarpathia, which includes an ethnic Hungarian minority, had been extradited to Budapest.
Gergely Gulias, the chief of staff of the Hungarian army, said this week that Budapest had informed the Ukrainian authorities about the handover after the arrival of 11 soldiers in Hungary.
He told reporters that Hungary does not legally consider these individuals prisoners of war because they were released in Russia.
Golias noted that the returnees were free to leave the country whenever they wanted to, explaining that those without Hungarian citizenship among the group were granted asylum.
The long-running dispute between Budapest and Kiev over the rights of the Hungarian minority in the Transcarpathian region has led Hungary to vow to block Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and NATO.
1687401911
#recovering #prisoners.. #Ukraine #accuses #Hungary #pimping #Russia