“Hungary will not accept EU sanctions that threaten the country’s interests, such as energy security,” said Minister of Foreign Affair and Trade Péter Szijjártó in the Kossuth radio’s “Sunday news” show.
Péter Szijjártó reminded that right after the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out and the first sanctions were being prepared, Brussels claimed that these could both bring the Russian economy to its knees as well as quickly end the war. However, at this point the war has been going on for eight months and has become more brutal than ever before. In the meantime, the European economy is dealing with major challenges – among them, due to the sanctions’ inflation, peoples’ money is worth less and less.
Just the mention of another, ninth, sanctions package caused even higher gas prices on the global market.
It would be best to finally confront the real impact of the sanctions policies. According to the latest news, the EU’s next sanctions package will apply to nuclear technology. “Several foreign ministers from various countries have already indicated they would support this; however this is a red line for Hungary that we will not cross,” said the Hungarian Foreign Minister.
“As we have done thus far, we will not support anything that goes against Hungarian interests or threatens energy security,”
– Péter Szijjártó declared.
He added that the nuclear power plant, Paks, provides one third of domestic energy and Paks II could ensure the lowered utility rates in Hungary. Therefore, the latest proposed sanctions would go against the interests of our country. The heating elements for the current four nuclear power plant blocks in Hungary must be purchased from a Russian manufacturer; in the region power plants of this kind are in operation for the most part. Hungary is satisfied with Russian suppliers. He explained that nuclear heating elements are a long-term guarantee for Hungarian energy security.
The Foreign Minister called attention to the importance of dialogue between the major powers connected to the Russian-Ukrainian war. As he said, even during the Cold War, a third world war could be avoided through communication between the United States and the Soviet Union. At present day as well, communications channels between Russsia and the USA should be established, because without negotiations, this war cannot come to an end, he emphasized.
Péter Szijjártó also added:
At the last meeting of the 27 EU foreign ministers, not one of his 26 colleagues uttered the word peace.
Photo: Péter Szijjártó (Photo CRedit: MTI/Tamás Vasvári)
