BUDAPEST, March 4 (Reuters) - Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday that he hopes two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war will be freed by Russia during his talks in Moscow, where
Russia releases Hungarian-Ukrainian POWs to Budapest, drawing Kyiv's ire
Background and Reactions to POW Release
BUDAPEST, March 5 (Reuters) - Two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war who were released by Russia to Budapest arrived in the country early on Thursday, drawing condemnation from Kyiv as "provocation" as the POWs were also dual citizens of Ukraine.
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto secured their release at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, a day after Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban held a phone call with the Russian leader over the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, and energy supplies for Hungary.
Ukraine's Response to the POW Transfer
The move drew Ukraine's ire, with its prisoner exchange coordination committee calling it a Russian "provocation."
Violation of International Law
"The transfer of two Ukrainian prisoners by Russia to the Hungarian side is a gross violation of international humanitarian law," it said on the Telegram messaging app.
Citizenship Status of the POWs
Both Putin and the Hungarian foreign ministry have referred to the POWs as dual citizens of Hungary and Ukraine.
Ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine
Transcarpathia Region
ETHNIC HUNGARIANS IN UKRAINE'S TRANSCARPATHIA REGION
Ukraine is home to around 150,000 ethnic Hungarians, most of them in the Transcarpathia region. Orban's government and Kyiv have long clashed over the community's language rights.
Hungary's Relations with Russia
Hungary maintains warm relations with Moscow despite Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and continues to buy Russian oil and gas despite EU sanctions.
Hungary's Political Moves
Efforts to Secure POW Release
Szijjarto said earlier on Wednesday that two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war had recently asked Hungary for help.
Statements from Officials
"I hope that after our talks more people will fly home on the plane than who came in this direction," Szijjarto said on his Facebook page.
Impact on Hungarian Politics
Orban has made Russia's war on Ukraine a key topic in his campaign for the April 12 parliamentary election, adding to friction between Budapest and Kyiv.
Conscription Controversy
Budapest has accused Kyiv of conscripting ethnic Hungarians. Last Friday, the foreign minister summoned Kyiv's ambassador to Budapest to protest the conscription of two men.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves; additional reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
