Hungary seizes Ukrainian cash shipment
Hungarian security forces stopped two Ukrainian bank vehicles transporting cash from Austria to Ukraine last week. Employees of Ukraine's state-run Oschadbank were temporarily detained and nine gold bars and banknotes worth around 69 million euros were seized. Budapest said it was acting to counter money laundering. Europe's press sees a connection with the dispute over the Druzhba Pipeline and Hungary's election campaign.
Orbán out to blackmail Kyiv
Writing in Új Szó, foreign policy expert Botond Feledy says the move is linked to the Ukrainian-Hungarian oil dispute:
“Money is regularly transported between Kyiv and Vienna, because the value of the hryvnia fluctuates a lot and payments within Ukraine are therefore often made in Western currencies. According to Telex, similar transfers were regularly escorted by the Hungarian police and guarded by István Garancsi's company, which is considered close to the government - so this was by no means an exceptional case. The Hungarian prime minister may have decided to intercept the convoy in order to be able to blackmail the Ukrainian president, who he believes is delaying the repair of the Druzhba pipeline.”
Like a band of robbers
The behaviour of the Hungarian state is unacceptable, Népszava writes:
“Orbán's government has sunk so low that it is acting like a band of robbers, seizing legal Ukrainian cash and gold deliveries, and then trying to legitimise the crime after the fact. Over the course of the past century our country has developed a rich and tragic tradition of state robbery. It is deeply depressing that Fidesz is drawing inspiration from this shameful tradition.”
Is the opposition lining its pockets?
The pro-government website Vasárnap.hu suspects a conspiracy:
“It's also interesting to note that opposition leader Péter Magyar previously stated that between 10 and 20 billion forints [approximately 25 to 51 million euros] would be needed to run a campaign, while the official reports of the Tisza Party only mention 3 billion. Where is Péter Magyar getting the difference from? Could it be that Ukraine, which seems to be doing everything it can to bring about a change of government in Hungary, is providing cash to finance the opposition's efforts? ... Of course we have no evidence for this, and it must be said that this is mere speculation for the time being.”
Budapest playing with the continent's fate
For LRT columnist Saulius Spurga, Hungary is Europe's Achilles heel:
“The situation is as dramatic as it is absurd. The conflict between Hungary and Ukraine has exposed deep contradictions within the EU and almost insolvable structural problems. Let's take a look at what's at stake. On the one side, the financial and defence capacities of a country that is at war and bleeding, and beyond that the most dramatic war of our time, whose outcome could determine the fate of Europe and, to a large extent, the future world order. On the other, the evil ambitions of a country that refuses to assume any responsibility and is not even participating in the loan procedure.”
Brussels must crack down
Lawyer Nikita Murenko calls in Unian for an appropriate response from international institutions:
“This could set a precedent: today, the assets of a Ukrainian state bank have been seized, tomorrow, any cross-border transaction could become hostage to the political will of a single government. This is incompatible with international law, European legal culture and the fundamental security of international trade and banking. For precisely this reason the response should not be purely diplomatic, but also institutional and legal - coming from the EU, the Council of Europe and, if necessary, international courts.”