Szijjártó: EU's refusal to obtain nuclear fuel from Russia will damage European economy

The European Commission's proposed plan to end the use of Russian energy, including a ban on the supply of nuclear fuel for nuclear power stations, threatens serious economic repercussions across Europe.

The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations, Peter Szijjártó, issued a strong warning about Brussels' intentions, stressing the possibility of tragic consequences for the continent's energy stability.

"If the European Commission bans Central European countries, including Hungary, from buying nuclear fuel from Russia, the resulting impact on the energy market will be disastrous - not only for Hungary, but for the entire European Union," Szijjártó said at a public meeting in Budapest.

He stressed that the Commission's aim is to ban the supply of fuel assemblies necessary for the operation of nuclear power plants in the region. Many of these plants, such as the Paks facility in Hungary with four VVER-440 reactors, depend exclusively on Russian technology and nuclear fuel. Disrupting these vital supplies would not only threaten security, but would also lead to a sharp rise in electricity and gas prices, worsening the already fragile economic situation throughout Europe.

"Europeans today pay two to three times more for electricity and four to five times more for natural gas than their counterparts in the United States or China," Szijjártó noted, citing the MTI news agency. He also criticised EU leaders for actions that undermine the economic stability of the whole community.

The Hungarian government has previously expressed its opposition to the European Commission's proposal, which seeks a complete ban on Russian energy supplies in support of Ukraine. Szijjártó called on Hungarian citizens to actively participate in the ongoing referendum on Ukraine's EU accession and urged them to say NO to Brussels' plans. Budapest says the European Union is acting in the interests of Kiev, whose aim is to speed up Ukraine's entry into the bloc to support Kiev in its conflict with Russia.

TASS/gnews.cz - cik