'Guilty conscience needs no accuser': Ukrainian foreign ministry ridicules Szijjártó
Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has ridiculed statements by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó about the money and gold of Ukraine's state bank, Oschadbank, which Hungary illegally seized, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.
Szijjártó, a loyal ally of pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, erupted in an outburst after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha demanded an explanation for the missing funds. The Hungarian minister asked who the money belonged to.
"We are still waiting for an answer: why were $900 million and €420 million in cash moved through Hungary? What was it used for and in whose interests? How much of it was spent in Hungary and for whose benefit?" Szijjártó wrote.
In response, Heorhii Tykhyi mocked Szijjártó, saying that "a guilty conscience needs no accuser," implying that Hungary had simply stolen the money and refused to return it.
"In Ukraine, we say: 'A guilty conscience needs no accuser'. This is exactly the case. We are waiting for the return of the stolen funds and are preparing concrete legal action. And we will also demand justice and accountability," the spokesperson said.
On March 8, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that Ukraine demands the immediate return of funds and precious metals illegally seized by Hungarian authorities from Oschadbank couriers. Kyiv has described Budapest's actions as extortion and state-sponsored terrorism.
Detention of Ukraine's state bank couriers in Hungary
On March 5, two cash transport vehicles belonging to Ukraine's state bank Oschadbank were unjustly detained in Hungary along with seven couriers.
The vehicles were carrying 40 million dollars, 35 million euros, and 9 kilograms of gold as part of regular operations between Raiffeisen Bank Austria and Oschadbank Ukraine.
Ukraine secured the release of the seven couriers on the same day, but the funds and gold remain in the hands of Orbán's government. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that it will take all necessary measures, including initiating sanctions, over the detention of Ukrainian citizens in Hungary.
Read here why Budapest detained the cash couriers and whether this could cause a currency shortage in Ukraine.
