MFA demands to allow consul to visit Ukrainian prisoners held in isolation by Hungary

Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said this in a statement on Facebook, Ukrinform reported.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has once again appealed to the Hungarian side to immediately allow the Ukrainian consul to visit Ukrainian prisoners of war so that he can assess their physical and psychological condition, inform them of their rights, and provide urgent consular assistance," noted Nikolenko.

He noted that all attempts by Ukrainian diplomats in recent days to establish direct contact with Ukrainian citizens have been unsuccessful.

 "This, as well as information received from the relatives of some of them, indicates that the assurances of the Hungarian authorities about the allegedly free status of Ukrainian defenders in Hungary are not true," the Foreign Ministry spokesman stated.

According to him, the Ukrainian citizens handed over to Budapest by Russia are being held in isolation, do not have access to open sources of information, communicate with their relatives in the presence of third parties, and are denied contact with the Ukrainian embassy.

"Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side's attempts to establish a constructive dialogue with the Hungarian authorities through official diplomatic channels have been ignored. Such actions by Budapest call into question its declared humanitarian motives for the transfer of Ukrainians to Hungary. In addition, they can be qualified as a violation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms," the Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized.

He assured that Ukraine is waiting for the return of its defenders and is ready to provide them with maximum assistance in reuniting with their families and ensuring the necessary rehabilitation.

As reported, on June 9, the Charge d'Affaires of Hungary was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and handed an appeal demanding detailed information about the Ukrainian prisoners of war transferred by Russia to Budapest and immediate access to them for the consul.

The Ukrainian government was not informed of the relevant negotiations between the Hungarian and Russian sides. The Ukrainian side found out that Russia had handed over eleven Ukrainians of Hungarian origin to Budapest from public statements by Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Szemien to the Hungarian media.