The cabinet chief said he had held negotiations with Euratom officials in Luxembourg on Wednesday, and that Euratom raised concerns regarding Hungary’s plans to import fuel exclusively from Russia.

Lázár said a solution is being prepared to guaranteed secure delivery of fuel to Hungary and allow “the Russians to deliver fuel, too”. It is not in the EUʼs interest to block the Paks upgrade, he added.

A spokesperson for Rosatom, the Russian state-owned firm that is supposed to handle the upgrade, told Reuters today that they have nothing to add to the position of the Hungarian government. Rosatomʼs spokesperson maintained that the EC and the Hungarian government had already agreed on the firmʼs deal on the Paks upgrade.

Late yesterday, the Financial Times reported that the EC backed Euratom’s decision to block Hungary’s Paks upgrade. The decision was reportedly made because Euratom was concerned about the arrangement under which Russia would supply the plant exclusively with fuel.