Hungary has returned an $82 million shipment of Ukrainian cash and gold that had been seized earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on May 6, describing the move as a positive step in relations between the two countries. The assets belonged to Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank and were returned after weeks of tensions between Budapest and Kyiv.
The shipment, which reportedly included millions of dollars, euros and gold, had been confiscated by Hungarian authorities in March 2026 while travelling through Hungary from Austria to Ukraine. At the time, Budapest said the seizure was linked to money-laundering concerns, while Ukrainian officials called the move unjustified and politically motivated.
Zelenskyy thanked Hungary for returning the assets and said the decision could help improve cooperation between the neighbouring countries, whose relations have often been strained during the war with Russia. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly criticised some European Union support measures for Ukraine, leading to frequent disagreements between Budapest and Kyiv.
