Ukraine's National Bank sends team to Budapest over seizure of Oschadbank cash-in-transit guards

A team from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is travelling to Budapest to clarify the situation surrounding the seizure of Oschadbank cash-in-transit crews.

Source: Andrii Pyshnyi, Governor of Ukraine's National Bank, on Facebook

Details: NBU's Deputy Governor Oleksii Shaban is also travelling to Budapest.

Quote: "Meanwhile, we are also working on appeals to our partners and regulators on this issue, including compliance with CIT control procedures in the eurozone and the relevant actions of the Hungarian side."

More details: Pyshnyi also demanded official information from the Hungarian authorities on the reasons for the detention of Oschadbank staff.

Background:

• On 2 March, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that satellite images prove there are no obstacles to the operation of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
• Commenting on this, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said satellite images cannot reveal every detail. He also criticised Orbán and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico for their selfishness over the Druzhba pipeline situation.
• Zelenskyy said earlier that he hopes "a certain person" in the EU (presumably Orbán) will stop blocking the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine, otherwise he might give that person's contact details to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
• Viktor Orbán has posted videos on social media in which he threatens to use force to make Ukraine resume the transit of oil via the Druzhba pipeline.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on the night of 5-6 March that Hungarian authorities in Budapest had taken seven Ukrainian employees of the state-owned Oschadbank hostage and seized money and valuables.

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