Budapest has informed Ukraine about the Russian Orthodox Church-facilitated transfer of a group of Ukrainian military prisoners to Hungary despite not being obligated to do so, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday
BUDAPEST (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2023) Budapest has informed Ukraine about the Russian Orthodox Church-facilitated transfer of a group of Ukrainian military prisoners to Hungary despite not being obligated to do so, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday.
The Russian Orthodox Church said last week that it facilitated the transfer of 11 captive Ukrainian troops of Hungarian descent from the Zakarpattia region to Hungary. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the Ukrainian government had not been informed about the negotiations between Russia and Hungary on the issue. On Monday, the ministry demanded that Budapest allow Ukraine's consul immediate access to the Ukrainian prisoners, adding that so far, all attempts by Ukrainian diplomats to establish a dialogue with the Hungarian side were unsuccessful.
"Of course, we notified Ukrainian authorities, although we were not legally obligated at all. We informed (Ukraine) as part of a normal partnership that these 11 former prisoners of war arrived in Hungary as part of cooperation through the church," Szijjarto said at a press conference.
He added that they can freely move in Hungary and are not banned from leaving the country. In addition, they can contact Ukrainian authorities if they want. The Hungarian minister also said that he "does not and should not have" information about where the former prisoners are now.
The Zakarpattia region in western Ukraine is home to a large ethnically Hungarian minority. Budapest has repeatedly expressed serious concerns about the safety of ethnic Hungarians drafted to participate in the conflict in Ukraine on the Ukrainian side.
