The MFA of Ukraine appealed to Budapest regarding the statement of the Russian Orthodox Church on the transfer of prisoners

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine invited the temporary representative of Hungary due to the statement of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on the transfer of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleh Nikolenko informed.

According to him, the Ukrainian government was not informed about the relevant negotiations between the Hungarian and Russian parties. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs learned about the fact that Russia handed over eleven Ukrainians of Hungarian origin to Budapest from the public statements of the Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary.

Ukraine invited the temporary representative of Hungary, submitted a request to provide detailed information about its citizens and to urgently ensure access to them for the Ukrainian consul — so that he could verify their state of health and provide them with consular assistance.

During the meeting, they separately emphasized the need to coordinate cooperation on such sensitive issues as the release of prisoners of war.

• On June 8, the Russian Orthodox Church informed that it had handed over to Hungary Ukrainian prisoners of war originally from Transcarpathia, who took part in hostilities.
• The Ukrainian side did not know about it and was not involved in the process in any way. In a comment to "Babel", the representative of the Ukrainian SSR Andriy Yusov stated that the issue of prisoners of war is exclusively dealt with by the Coordination Headquarters, with which neither the ROC nor Hungary contacted. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the State Government are establishing all the circumstances, finding out the names of those released and working on their return.