General Director of the Russian nuclear corporation "Rosatom" Oleksiy Likhachev arrived in Budapest on Monday, where he discussed the expansion of the Paksh nuclear power plant with the Hungarian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

 This was reported by the Hungarian state media.

 According to the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Peter Szijarto, after the successful discussions on the expansion of the nuclear power plant with the European Union, the construction "will receive a new impetus". At the beginning of July, preparatory work for the expansion of the Paksh station will begin.

 "Both Rosatom and the Hungarian government aim to ensure the commissioning of the new Paks units by the beginning of the next decade, so that we can ensure that the results of reducing energy consumption in Hungary can be sustainable in the long term," Szijarto added.

 He also called the attempts of "many international players" to block and slow down the expansion of the Paksh NPP an "attack on sovereignty" because it "creates obstacles to investments aimed at ensuring the energy security of the state."

 It will be recalled that we are talking about the Paksh II project - the expansion of the Paksh nuclear power plant worth 12 billion euros, which is being carried out under the leadership of Rosatom and is financed mainly by a Russian state loan. Last year, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued a permit for this project.

 "Paks" is the only nuclear power plant in Hungary, the life of which was extended to the 2030s after modernization. According to the adopted energy strategy, Budapest wants to increase the generation of nuclear power in the future.

 This project is one of the reasons why Hungary actively opposes any sanctions against Russia's nuclear sector.