Balkans | Hungary will not support nuclear energy sanctions against Russia

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Peter Sjägarto said that they would not accept any sanctions that would restrict Hungarian-Russian nuclear cooperation.

Minister Szijjarto, while attending the meeting of foreign ministers of the European Union countries in Brussels, made statements at the press conference regarding the new sanctions package that the European Union planned against Russia due to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Noting that the majority of the ministers participating in the meeting supported the new sanctions against Russia, Szijjarto said that the Hungarian government believed the sanctions to be ineffective and therefore did not support them.

“Sanctions have brought the European Union to a standstill,” said Szijjarto. “Sanctions hurt us Europeans more than Russians. Everyone can see this. This is not a political statement, it is a fact.” He said.

The issue of sanctions on nuclear energy has always been discussed, but no decision has been taken yet, “we will not support any step, no matter how small, that restricts Hungarian-Russian nuclear cooperation,” Szijjarto stressed. He said.

Cigarto said that the nuclear energy penalty against Russia would threaten his country’s energy security, and stated that the Pax Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary produces half of the country’s electricity needs, so that it is not possible to meet the electrical energy needs of his country without nuclear energy.

Cigarto emphasized that his country has been using nuclear energy for 40 years and that they agreed with Russia 9 years ago to expand the Pax Nuclear Power Plant.

Szijjarto, responding to his criticism that his country opposes the inclusion of some Russian citizens in the sanctions list, said: “I think it is important not to include people who should not be on the sanctions list from a legal point of view, in order to preserve the credibility of Europe.” answered in the form.

AA