Hungary's foreign minister says his country receives nuclear fuel from Russia by air
April 7, 2022, 10:55 am

Hungary's foreign minister says his country receives nuclear fuel from Russia by air

Hungary's foreign minister attends meeting of NATO foreign ministers (File photo: Hungarian FM official Facebook page)

The Straits Times reported, citing Reuters, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday (Apr 7), Hungary received the first shipment of nuclear fuel for its Paks nuclear plant from Russia by air on Wednesday (April 6), after the war in Ukraine made shipping by rail impossible.

Mr Szijjarto reiterated that Hungary rejected any sanctions on Russian oil and gas, adding that imposing any sanctions on activities related to nuclear energy was also a "red line" for Hungary.

Mr Szijjarto said in a Facebook video from Brussels: "Fuel (for the Paks plant) has always come from Russia by rail via Ukraine. Unfortunately..., this is no longer possible so we had to find an alternative way for shipping."

He said, the fuel shipment had arrived via the airspace of Belarus, Poland and Slovakia to Hungary with all three countries' approval, as nuclear energy is not subject to any European Union sanctions.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Brussels, Belgium (File photo: Official Facebook page)

Hungary wants to expand its Russian-built 2-gigawatt Paks nuclear power plant with two Russian-made VVER reactors, each with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts.

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The project, awarded in 2014 without a tender to nuclear giant Rosatom has been often cited as a sign of warm ties between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The project has suffered delays.

Mr Orban, who was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in elections on Sunday, told a news conference on Wednesday that Budapest wanted to strengthen its Western alliances, as Hungary's future was in the EU and firmly within Nato.

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But he also said Hungary was prepared to pay roubles for Russian gas, breaking ranks with the EU which has sought a united front in opposing Moscow's demand for payment in the currency.

Source: straitstimes

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.