The prime ministers’ summit in Prague has come to an end. Two crucial issues were discussed. One was the Ukrainian-Russian war, on which I represented the Hungarian position that the most important thing is peace and that we prevent escalation. Currently events are pointing in that direction, but we need a ceasefire and negotiations. I’ve asked the leaders of the larger European Union states to ensure that everyone tries to engage in negotiations to enable us to prevent the war spreading any further. As far as energy is concerned, all the important Hungarian national goals have been achieved. We’ve been exempted from the elements of the eighth package (of sanctions) that would be harmful to us. This package of sanctions won’t apply to Hungary’s gas supply or to energy from nuclear power plants; indeed it allows Hungary to build – to continue to build, without any disruption – the Paks II nuclear power plant. And finally we called on the Commission to take immediate action to reduce energy prices, as the sanctions have sent them skyrocketing across the whole of Europe.
