Concerning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Wednesday visit, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Gergely Gulyás, said that building fair business ties with Russia is in Hungary’s interest because “the country, in fact, is entirely dependent on Russian gas”
In a video interview published on Mandiner.hu, he said that the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant, to be implemented by Russia’s Rosatom as general contractor, was crucial for climate protection and Hungary’s planned carbon neutrality.
Orbán after Putin Meeting: Russia, West Cooperation in Hungary’s Interest
On the subject of Ukraine, Gulyás reiterated the government’s position that Hungary would not support Ukraine’s NATO membership unless Ukraine scraps its education law impacting ethnic Hungarians. Gulyás voiced Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s readiness to meet the president of Ukraine and added that preparations were under way for such negotiations.
Putin in Budapest: Russia to further Deepen Ties with Hungary
In another development, Gulyás said that whether Hungary’s next European commissioner would be in charge of neighbourhood policy or transport, “either will be weightier than the portfolios of any Hungarian commissioner before”.
In the featured photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the press conference after their 2019 Budapest meeting. Photo by Zoltán Máthé/MTI