Ukraine regards newly adopted Hungarian law 'legalising the theft of its money as null and void'

The Embassy of Ukraine in Hungary described the Hungarian Parliament's adoption of laws on opposing Ukraine's accession to the European Union, the blocking of military aid, and the law relating to the assets seized during the capturing of the Ukrainian State Bank’s cash transport as shameful in a social media post.

“None of these steps came as a surprise for the Ukrainian side: the Hungarian authorities' shameful positions have been known for a long time,”

they write, adding that the vote to oppose support for Ukraine's accession to the EU first and foremost sends a message to the Hungarian ethnic minority in Ukraine, as Viktor Orbán is effectively closing the door to the European Union in front of them.

The post also states that with its actions, Hungary is continuing to play the role of a Trojan horse, seeking to hold the European Union hostage, thereby weakening and dividing it. “The Hungarian parliament certainly received applause today – in Moscow,” they add.

The post notes that the resolution in question does not change EU regulations and has no legal force in terms of Ukraine's European integration process, but is merely a political move that should be interpreted in the context of the Hungarian election campaign.

They also view the Hungarian parliament's adoption of a government decree and the related law aimed at "legalising the theft of funds from Ukraine's state-owned Oschadbank," as a similar political move. They regard these decisions as null and void and continue to demand the immediate return of the unlawfully seized funds, for the purpose of which they will use all legal means at their disposal.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, there is no legal basis for the Hungarian authorities having stopped two Ukrainian cash transport vehicles on March 5 on the M0 ring road near Budapest. It was days after the fact, on Monday, that Máté Kocsis, leader of Fidesz's parliamentary group, submitted a bill related to the assets seized from the vehicles.

Speaking on ATV on Monday, Lóránt Horváth said that in his opinion, with the bill submitted on Monday, the Hungarian state had effectively admitted that it had unlawfully seized the assets of the Ukrainian money transport.

"Hungary is sinking into a vicious circle of lawlessness. After stealing money from the Ukrainian state bank, they are now submitting a bill to 'legalize' this. This is a de facto admission that Hungary's actions had no legal basis," Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs said in his first reaction to the news.