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Hungary Returns Seized Cash and Gold to Ukraine

The handover signals a tentative thaw in ties after Viktor Orbán’s ouster.

Overview

  • Ukraine said Wednesday the cash, nine one‑kilogram gold bars and two transport vehicles were fully handed back to state bank Oschadbank.
  • Hungarian security forces had halted a routine Austria‑to‑Ukraine cash run in early March and detained seven Oschadbank employees before releasing them.
  • The seizure covered about $40 million, €35 million and the gold, which Hungarian authorities kept while citing a money‑laundering probe.
  • Ties have started to warm after Viktor Orbán’s ouster, with Hungary lifting its block on an EU loan and Péter Magyar agreeing to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early June.
  • Budapest has not clarified who authorized the restitution, leaving the status of any investigation uncertain.