Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, highlighted that prior to Donald Trump's presidency, the United States had made numerous politically motivated decisions that placed Hungary in extremely difficult situations. This was the case with the restrictions that were imposed after the Democratic Party’s defeat in elections last year.
he continued.
With one of these sanctions, they tried to undermine Hungary’s long-term secure energy supply by introducing restrictions on the construction of the Paks II nuclear power plant, which practically made it impossible for the project to continue,
he said.
Fortunately, since January, there is a president in the White House who views Hungary as a friend. In this spirit, the U.S. government has lifted the sanctions related to the Paks nuclear power project,
Szijjarto continued.
We are grateful to President Donald Trump and to the Republican administration. The Paks project guarantees Hungary’s secure long-term energy supply and the preservation of reduced utility costs,
he added. Szijjarto emphasized that with the Paks II expansion, from the mid-2030s onward, Hungary will be able to produce a significant portion of the electricity required for the country and the operation of the economy.
The production of the massive equipment needed for the Paks II nuclear power plant has been ongoing in Russia and France. On-site in Paks, the construction works can now gain new momentum,
he stressed.
This ensures that we can take our energy supply into our own hands in the long term, and continue to guarantee that Hungarian people will pay the lowest utility bills in Europe,
he underlined. The minister also noted that if the project had not been allowed to continue, Hungary would have become vulnerable in terms of energy supply in the long run, and Hungarian people would have had to pay several times the current electricity bill costs in the coming years.
President Donald Trump and his administration have helped Hungary in this. At the same time, however, we still have another fight to wage: in Brussels to ensure that we can continue purchasing cheap oil and natural gas. But we will take on and win that battle as well,
he concluded.
Cover photo: Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister (Photo: MTI/KKM)
