What did 7 May 2026 signal for Kyiv's partners?

What did the early days of May 2026 tell Kyiv about its standing in Europe? By 7 May 2026, two separate developments pointed in the same direction: one on a bilateral dispute, the other on accountability for the war.

Hungary hands back the Oschadbank assets

On 6 May 2026, Ukraine's president announced that Hungary had returned cash and gold seized from Ukraine's Oschadbank. The seizure had followed an order from outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who had told the government to keep the cash and gold for 60 days. The announcement made clear that the assets had come back to Ukraine, ending a dispute that had strained relations between the two countries.

Parliament backs a special tribunal

A few days earlier, on 1 May 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting the creation 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 tribunal idea has a defined purpose. As later described, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is an ad hoc international criminal tribunal aimed at prosecuting individuals responsible for the invasion under the concept of crimes of aggression. It is meant to complement the existing International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine. The same background notes that the invasion has been described as violating international law since the start, and that procedural obstacles exist to prosecutions for aggression under national criminal codes, including those of Ukraine and Russia.

Reading the two together

The two items are different in kind. One was a concrete, quickly resolved matter between neighbours; the other was a political position taken by a parliament, not a legal body. The Parliament's resolution tied sanctions to full implementation of any peace deal, so it set out conditions for the long term. The return of the Oschadbank cash and gold, by contrast, was a completed act.

Taken together, they show that by 7 May 2026 Kyiv had both a practical gain in its dealings with Budapest and renewed parliamentary support in Brussels-based EU institutions for holding Russian leaders to account.