Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 4, 2026
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, speaking from Moscow on March 4, said he hopes Russia will release two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war during talks with President Putin, following a phone call between Prime Minister Orbán and Putin. This comes amid Budapest’s dispute with Kyiv over the
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 he is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later.
Szijjarto travelled to Moscow a day after Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban held a phone call with Putin where they discussed the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine and the availability of crude oil and natural gas for Hungary.
Orban's government has made Russia's war on Ukraine a key topic in his campaign for the April 12 parliamentary election, adding to tensions between Budapest and Kyiv.
Szijjarto said in a broadcast on his Facebook page from Moscow that two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war have recently asked Hungary for help.
"I hope that after our talks more people will fly home on the plane than who came in this direction," Szijjarto said.
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.
Orban's government has also accused Kyiv of conscripting ethnic Hungarians, who Budapest said should not have been called up. Last Friday the foreign minister summoned Kyiv's ambassador to Budapest to protest the conscription of two men.
Hungary's Orban has maintained warm relations with Moscow even after the start of the war in Ukraine, and is not willing to give up its purchases of Russian oil and gas, which has led to tensions with the European Union. Last month Hungary said that it will block the European Union's next package of sanctions against Russia as well as a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) EU loan for Ukraine to fund its defence against Russia until shipments on the Druzhba pipeline resume.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Hungary's foreign minister is visiting Moscow to discuss the release of two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war held by Russia.
The two prisoners are ethnic Hungarians from Ukraine who have recently requested help from the Hungarian government.
Hungary and Ukraine have clashed over language rights and the conscription of ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine.
Hungary's warm relations with Russia and refusal to stop purchasing Russian oil and gas have led to tensions with the European Union.
Hungary has threatened to block EU sanctions and aid for Ukraine until oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline resume.
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