Mikola attended a panel discussion of the 8th Europe-Ukraine Forum with highranking Czech, Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian and Ukrainian diplomats reviewing the future of the EU-Ukraine association agreement.

Asked why Putin was visiting Budapest, the state secretary noted that the two countries’ bilateral gas supply agreement would soon expire and, for energy security reasons, Hungary has a vital interest in extending it.

All sides agreed that the future of the association agreement and the reforms in Ukraine would depend on the success of the Minsk ceasefire agreement. Several participants, however, were pessimistic about the viability of the ceasefire, Mikola told MTI over the phone.

Concerning EU measures against Russia, Mikola underlined support for Europe’s united stance but added that Hungary that has as an exportdriven economy was unhappy about the sanctions.

Addressing the event, Mikola said that there could be no military solution to the conflict in Ukraine and that Hungary would not deliver weapons to that country.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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