What happened on 7 May 2026 in Ukraine's diplomacy?

What was the state of Ukraine's relations with Hungary and the European Union on 7 May 2026? Two developments from the days around that date set the picture: Budapest handed back seized state-bank assets, and the European Parliament had recently backed a tribunal for Russian leaders.

On 6 May 2026, Ukraine's president announced that Hungary had returned cash and gold seized from Ukraine's Oschadbank. The assets had been held after Viktor Orbán, the outgoing Hungarian prime minister, ordered the government to keep the cash and gold for 60 days. By 7 May the return was a fact, and it eased one of the disputes between Kyiv and Budapest.

A few days earlier, 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 tribunal idea

The proposed body is the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. It is conceived as an ad hoc international criminal tribunal to prosecute individuals responsible for the Russian invasion under the legal concept of the crime of aggression. It would complement the existing International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine.

The invasion has been described from the outset as a violation of international law, and as a crime of aggression under international criminal law and under the domestic criminal codes of both Ukraine and Russia. Procedural obstacles to prosecutions under those laws exist.

Why the two items sat together

The return of the Oschadbank assets and the Parliament's resolution were separate events. Together they showed movement on two fronts as of 7 May 2026: a bilateral dispute with Hungary settled in Ukraine's favour, and continued European backing for accountability and sanctions pressure on Russia.