Hungary returns seized Oschadbank cash and gold to Ukraine
A look back at 6 May 2026, when Kyiv announced the return of assets held in Hungary, days after the European Parliament backed a special tribunal.
What happened to the cash and gold seized from Ukraine's Oschadbank in Hungary? On 6 May 2026, the Ukrainian president announced that Hungary had returned them.
The assets had been held after outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán ordered the government to keep the cash and gold for 60 days. The announcement on 6 May marked the return of the seized assets to Ukraine, and it was presented as a step in the bilateral relationship between Kyiv and Budapest.
A tribunal endorsed days earlier
The announcement came days after a separate development in Europe. On 1 May 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for crimes related to the war in Ukraine. The resolution also called for sanctions to remain in place until a peace agreement is fully implemented.
The proposed body, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, is intended as an ad hoc international criminal tribunal. It would prosecute individuals responsible for the Russian invasion under the legal concept of crimes of aggression, complementing the existing International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine.
The invasion has been described as violating international law since its start. It has also been called a crime of aggression under international criminal law and under some countries' domestic criminal codes, including those of Ukraine and Russia, although procedural obstacles exist to prosecutions under these laws.
Taken together, the two developments showed activity on separate fronts for Ukraine in early May 2026: the recovery of state bank assets from a neighbouring country, and political backing in the European Parliament for accountability mechanisms and continued sanctions.
