Budapest notes with optimism the development of Russian-Hungarian cooperation. First of all, this concerns the nuclear industry, as Izvestia was told on Saturday, May 6, by the head of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes of the PRUE. G.V. Plekhanov Andrey Koshkin.
“The European Commission would like other actions on the part of Hungary and, to some extent, to influence that these relations (Russian-Hungarian. – Ed.) stop. However, Hungary rather optimistically focuses on the fact that relations between Hungary and Russia have the prospect of development, especially cooperation in the construction of a nuclear power plant,” Andrey Koshkin explained.
According to him, dialogue with Rosatom on the construction of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant is especially important for Hungary. He stressed that the current relations between the EU and Russia do not affect the decision of the Hungarian Republic to continue to develop cooperation.
However, the expert noted that “warm relations” can only exist if the countries are in a mutually beneficial position. Now it is profitable for Hungary to receive gas and oil at reduced prices.
“Naturally, such statements and corresponding actions, the desire to interact with Russia is beneficial for Hungary, receiving energy at prices that are significantly lower than spot prices, in particular for gas and oil,” Koshkin concluded.Harmful independence: why the Americans are punishing Hungary Viktor Orban is sure that Ukraine is too expensive for the EU countries West.
This was a response to the proposal of Oleg Ustenko, economic adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, to impose sanctions against Hungary in connection with the extension of deals with Gazprom and the discussion of the construction of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant.
On April 11, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto visited Moscow to discuss issues of cooperation in order to ensure the security of Hungary’s energy supply. During his visit, he met with Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak and Director General of Rosatom Alexei Likhachev.
In January, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that any attempt to impose restrictions on Russian nuclear power would be vetoed by Hungary.
Paks NPP is the only nuclear power plant in Hungary. It is located 100 km from Budapest and five from the city of Paks. It is known that the nuclear power plant was created according to the Soviet project and at the moment it operates four units with VVER-440 reactors. Currently, Paks produces about half of Hungary’s electricity, and with the planned commissioning of two more new units, this share is expected to double.