Hungary hosts Russian cabinet minister, aims to ‘keep channels open’

Hungary hosted Russia’s health minister on Wednesday for a rare visit by a member of the Russian cabinet to an EU and NATO member state, with Budapest saying it wanted to keep communications channels open.

Hungary, under nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is the only member of the EU and the NATO alliance that still maintains close relations with Moscow, after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

Hungary still receives most of its oil and natural gas from Russia, while saying it is trying to diversify sources of supply, even as the rest of the EU has largely halted Russian imports.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto held a joint press conference in Budapest with visiting Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko. Hungary wanted to keep “channels of communications open” with Russia and pursue “sensible and pragmatic cooperation”, Szijjarto said.

He condemned the war in general terms and called for peace talks, but criticised weapons shipments to Ukraine and did not directly blame Russia for the invasion.

“We condemn the war in the most decisive manner, but at the same time we think weapons shipments prolong the war,” Szijjarto said, reiterating that Hungary would not send arms.

Hungary’s NATO allies have sent tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons to help Kyiv recapture territory seized by Moscow.

Szijjarto also said he expects that Russia’s nuclear energy agency Rosatom will build two new reactors at Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant by 2030 and 2031 as agreed under a 2014 contract that has so far met with major delays.

Reuters was not invited to the press conference. The Foreign Ministry did not reply to Reuters questions regarding Murashko’s visit.

Szijjarto reiterated that Hungary will not support the disbursement of the next tranche of the European Peace Facility, an EU aid programme for Ukraine, until Kyiv removes Hungary’s OTP Bank from its list of “international sponsors of war”.

Murashko told the press briefing that Moscow would support the operation of Hungarian companies present in Russia. OTP and Hungarian drug maker Richter both have operations in Russia.

“We will support the work of Hungarian companies in the Russian Federation,” Murashko said via an interpreter. Regarding the nuclear plant, he said: “Paks is a project that we are implementing together, and both parties are interested in realizing this project according to the agreement.”

Hungary hosts Russian cabinet minister, aims to ‘keep channels open’