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Nuclear Power

Thursday
30 May 2024

Hungary's Government Signs Deal with Belarus to Help Build Nuclear Reactor

30 May 2024  by reuters   

Members of the Hungarian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, attend a meeting with Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik in Minsk, Belarus, May 29, 2024. Vitaly Pivovarchik/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights
Hungary's government signed an accord with Belarus to help build Hungary's second nuclear plant, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement in Minsk on Wednesday.

Hungary's PAK 2 reactor has been under construction by Russia's Rosatom since 2014. The Russian company is building two reactors with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each at PAKS 2 in central Hungary.

"Of great importance is the agreement signed here today on nuclear energy cooperation, which allows us to use the experiences Belarus gained here while constructing reactors with a similar technology," Szijjarto said, without giving further details on the accord.

The 12.5 billion euro ($13.57 billion) project has experienced long delays, even though nuclear power is not covered by European Union sanctions against Russia, imposed over the war in Ukraine.

Hungary, which gets most of its power from Russia, has opposed expanding sanctions to include the sector.

Szijjarto also criticised a proposal from some of Hungary's European and NATO counterparts to send their soldiers to Ukraine to train forces inside the country.

"I am abhorred by the statements that say that EU, NATO countries are sending soldiers to Ukraine," he said.

European Union defence ministers on Tuesday debated the idea of training Ukrainian forces inside the country but did not reach a common position on the sensitive issue.

The 27-nation bloc already has such a mission for Ukrainian troops, but the training takes place in EU countries.

Hungary's government has strained relations with Kyiv and has maintained better ties with Moscow than other EU states since Russia's invasion two years ago.

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