Hungary as a state is not involved in the exchange of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war with Russia - Foreign Minister

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in a speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that the negotiations had been conducted by religious organisations. 

He also added that the prisoners of war are allegedly "free to move around in Hungary, and if they want to contact the Ukrainian authorities, they are free to do so". 

A member of the Ukrainian delegation, Yurii Kamelchuk, asked Szijjártó how Ukrainian prisoners of war had ended up in Hungary and when they would return to their families.

"As for the 11 prisoners of war, I think it's good news; they are free. There were negotiations between the church and religious organisations. The state of Hungary is not involved at all," Szijjártó said.

As a reminder, Hungary is holding 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war in isolation, whom Russia handed over to the Hungarian side without Ukraine's knowledge.

The prisoners of war do not have access to open sources of information, their communication with their families takes place in the presence of third parties, and they are denied contact with the Ukrainian embassy. 

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister stated that the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war was in the political interests of Viktor Orbán. Dmytro Kuleba believes that Orbán wanted to show Hungarians both in Hungary and abroad that he is "their only defender". 

Kuleba also added that the transfer of the Ukrainians was a covert operation involving "other players, not only from Hungary".