"Daylight robbery": MEPs call on von der Leyen to penalise Hungary for its treatment of Ukraine

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has reported that 35 members of the European Parliament have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, asking her to ensure that Hungary faces consequences for its seizure of seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards and confiscation of cash belonging to Oschadbank.

Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha thanked the MEPs for expressing their "clear stance on Hungary's banditism". "Such a strong statement reflects a principled European position in defence of the rule of law and our shared values," he commented.

In their letter to von der Leyen, the MEPs expressed "deep concern regarding the intolerable, illegal, and provocative actions of the Hungarian government".

"We view this outrageous and hostile act against Ukraine – currently resisting Russian aggression while defending European values and freedoms and striving to meet the criteria for EU membership – as a violation of good neighbourly relations. Such actions cast a negative shadow over the entire European Union, as they fail to comply with EU customs procedures and international transport regulations," the letter says.

The MEPs stressed that the conduct of the Hungarian government and the Fidesz party, which has introduced a bill to retroactively legalise the confiscation of the Ukrainian assets, "can only be described as daylight robbery".

They expect von der Leyen to take active steps to secure the return of Oschadbank's cash and gold.

"We also expect the European Commission, under your leadership, to conduct a thorough assessment of the Hungarian government's actions, which represent a further degradation of the rule of law and an escalation of lawlessness in Hungary. These actions must have clear and just consequences," the MEPs wrote.

Background:

• Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Hungary's actions with respect to the Oschadbank cash-in-transit guards and cash as "banditry".
• The National Bank of Ukraine has called Hungary's conduct towards Ukraine "international blackmail".

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