Hungary will sign a new nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States that includes the purchase of American nuclear fuel and U.S. technology for storing spent fuel at its Russian-built Paks nuclear power plant, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Friday.
The agreement comes as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, where energy security and Hungary’s dependence on Russian oil and gas are key topics. Szijjarto said the deal would be signed with U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio and marks “the first time in Hungary’s energy history” that the country will buy American nuclear fuel.
The deal also covers U.S. storage technology for spent fuel at Paks and future cooperation on small modular reactor (SMR) projects part of a broader effort to diversify Hungary’s energy mix.
Hungary has maintained close ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine, relying heavily on Russian energy imports and allowing Russia’s state-owned Rosatom to build two new reactors under the delayed “Paks II” expansion project.
Trump, a political ally of Orban, has repeatedly urged European nations to cut reliance on Russian energy and expand purchases from the United States. The move by Budapest could signal a cautious step toward balancing its energy sources between Moscow and Washington.
What’s Next:
Hungary recently partnered with Poland’s Synthos Green Energy a license holder of GE Vernova Hitachi’s SMR technology to expand cooperation on next-generation nuclear energy in Central Europe. The new U.S. deal could accelerate that effort and reduce Hungary’s vulnerability to supply disruptions.
With information from Reuters.
