BUDAPEST, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Hungary will veto any European Union sanctions against Russia that affect nuclear power, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.
Ukraine has called on the EU-27 to include Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom in sanctions, but Hungary, which has a Russian-built nuclear power plant that it plans to expand with Rosatom, has blocked it. read more
Orban reiterated in an interview that sanctions on nuclear power “obviously should be vetoed.”
“We will not allow the implementation of the plan to include nuclear energy in sanctions,” the Hungarian prime minister said. “It’s out of the question.”
EU member Hungary has repeatedly criticized EU sanctions on Russia for its incursion into neighboring Ukraine, saying they have failed to significantly weaken Russia while they risk devastating the European economy.
The West has not imposed sanctions on Rosatom since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant has four small Russian-made VVER-440 reactors with a total capacity of about 2,000 megawatts, which began operating between 1982 and 1987.
It produces about half of its capacity, and the plant receives nuclear fuel from Russia.
Under an agreement signed in 2014 with Russia, Hungary intends to expand the Paks nuclear power plant with two Russian-made VVER reactors with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts each.
Reporting by Christina Tan; Editing Jacqueline Wong
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