Hungary hosted Russian Health Minister Mykhailo Murashko for a visit, saying it wanted to keep communication channels "open" with Russia. Usually, Russian government officials rarely appear in EU and NATO countries.
Reuters writes about it.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Sijarto held a joint press conference with the head of the Ministry of Health of Russia Murashko in Budapest. He noted that Hungary also seeks to continue "reasonable and pragmatic cooperation".
Szijjártó condemned the war without blaming Russia for the invasion and called for peace talks. At the same time, he criticized the supply of arms to Ukraine.
According to him, Hungary expects that Rosatom will build two new reactors at the Hungarian nuclear power plant Paks by 2030 and 2031. Meanwhile, the Russian minister added that Moscow will support the work of Hungarian companies present in Russia, in particular, OTP Bank, which Ukraine included in the list of international sponsors of the war.
- Peter Szijjártó also reiterated that Budapest will block the next tranche of the European Peace Fund, the EU aid program for Ukraine, until Kyiv excludes the Hungarian OTP Bank from the specified list. On May 17, the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry already stated that his country will block the next tranches of EU aid for Ukraine in the amount of €500 million, as long as OTP Bank is on the list of war sponsors.
- Hungary also opposes the EUʼs plan to provide Ukraine with €50 billion, which was proposed to be allocated by the European Commission. According to Ursula von der Leyen, this aid will provide perspective and predictability for the government in Kyiv, as well as "stimulate other donors to step up."
- On August 27, 2022, the Hungarian regulator allowed Rosatom to build two power units at the Paksh NPP. Then the European Commission did it. "Paksh" is the only nuclear power plant in Hungary, the life of which was extended to the 2030s after modernization.
- Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban stated that his country will block any European Union sanctions against Russian nuclear energy. According to The Washington Post, the Russian state-owned company Rosatom could import foreign materials and electronics for Russian manufacturers of missiles, projectiles and armored vehicles.