Russia to build two nuclear reactors in Hungary, confirms FM Szijjarto amid war in Europe

Hungary's Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto has stated that Russian nuclear power giant Rosatom is set to start building two new nuclear reactors in his nation in the upcoming weeks. According to the BBC report, the agreement which was inked between Russia and the EU nation in the year 2014, focuses on the expansion of Hungary’s Paks nuclear facility.

It is worth mentioning that the European Union has not imposed any sanctions on Russia's nuclear sector because of its brutal invasion of Ukraine. Further, Hungary has not always supported initiatives to isolate and sanction its shipments of gas and oil. 

According to the report, currently, 40% of Hungary's power is produced at the Paks facility. Russia is mainly funding the contentious €12.5 billion ($12.4 billion) project. In addition to this, Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister, wrote on Facebook, "Let the construction begin!" 

Hungary inks a deal with Russia to buy over 700 million cubic metres of gas

Earlier, on July 28, Hungary said that it had reached a deal with Russia to purchase over 700 million cubic metres of gas. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in an interview with radio station Kossuth that Budapest will continue receiving gas deliveries without interruption. Orban had previously also called on the European Union energy ministers' proposal for a reduction in gas consumption as "unenforceable" and "unjustifiable." 

Hungarian Prime Minister Orban told the radio station, “We are still negotiating with the Russians to get an additional 700 million cubic meters of gas". He said that a deal will be achieved in the summer of 2022. 

Furthermore, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs Szijjarto has earlier told Moscow's state-affiliated Tass that the Hungarian government has already begun a fresh round of negotiations on gas supplies from the Russian Federation. “We cannot force the Hungarian people to pay the price of this war. That is why we do not approve of sanctions on oil or natural gas against Russia,” according to him.  

The minister further stressed that while Hungary respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of war-torn Ukraine, it will not comply with EU-led penalties that "completely ignore the interests" of Hungarians, describing the idea of ending dependency on Russian energy as "useless" or "harmful." Hungary emphasised the necessity to secure its own energy in front of the impending hard winters as it planned to acquire an additional 700 million cubic metres of gas from Moscow. 

(Image: AP)