Hungary has signed an agreement with Belarus to aid in the construction of Hungary’s second nuclear plant, as announced by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto in Minsk on Wednesday.
Since 2014, Hungary’s PAK 2 reactor has been under construction by Russia’s Rosatom.
The Russian company is tasked with building two reactors, each with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts, 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 stated, though he did not provide further specifics about the accord.
The project, costing 12.5 billion euros ($13.57 billion), has faced significant delays.
Despite nuclear power not being included in the European Union’s sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine, the project has struggled to progress smoothly.
Hungary, heavily reliant on Russian energy, has resisted extending sanctions to the nuclear sector.
Szijjarto also expressed strong disapproval of a proposal by some European and NATO allies to send their soldiers to Ukraine for training purposes.
“I am abhorred by the statements that say that EU, NATO countries are sending soldiers to Ukraine,” he remarked.
On Tuesday, European Union defense ministers discussed the potential of training Ukrainian forces within Ukraine but did not reach a consensus on this delicate issue.
Currently, the EU has a mission to train Ukrainian troops, but this training occurs within EU countries.
Since Russia’s invasion two years ago, Hungary has maintained better relations with Moscow compared to other EU states, leading to strained relations with Kyiv.
This stance has contributed to Hungary’s unique position within the European Union regarding the conflict and its associated policies.