The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, announced the release of two captured Hungarians with dual citizenship after the intervention of Viktor Orbán. The gesture was accompanied by promises about reliable energy supplies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that two Hungarian citizens captured by the Russian army during the fighting in Ukraine will be released at the request of Budapest. According to the head of the Kremlin, these are persons who have both Ukrainian and Hungarian citizenship and were “forcefully mobilized” by the Ukrainian authorities. This was reported by the AFP agency, writes TASR.
Putin announced his decision at a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, which took place on Wednesday in Moscow.
Orbán’s request for prisoners
Putin noted that the issue of the release of prisoners was raised by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a joint phone call on Tuesday, who asked them to consider the possibility of releasing these citizens held captive by the Russian army.
“I have decided to release two persons. You can, as the Prime Minister requested, take them with you on the plane you arrived on and return to Budapest,” Putin declared.
Promises about energy supplies
The head of Hungarian diplomacy posted a five-minute live broadcast of the meeting on Facebook, in which Putin assured Szijjártó that he was aware of the situation in the oil and gas market and understood the Hungarian government’s concerns.
He promised to do everything in his power to secure supplies. “We have always been reliable suppliers,” the Russian president emphasized.
The Hungarian minority in Ukraine
A large Hungarian minority lives in Ukraine, especially in the Transcarpathian region. Several disputes have arisen between Kyiv and Budapest in recent years regarding citizenship, education and the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
