Hungary has voiced its intention to block any move by Brussels to sanction Moscow's nuclear industry.
"They can’t [sanction it] because it would be against our national interests and we would veto it," Szijjarto said on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
He added there are "continuous attempts" to target Russian nuclear energy with sanctions.
EU and NATO allies tried to persuade Hungary not to engage with Russian and Belarusian representatives during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. However, Budapest believes that such behavior leads to a dead-end and does not contribute to the search for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with the Chinese television channel CGTN.
"I see that our colleagues and allies from NATO and the European Union don't really want to use this General Assembly as a platform for dialogue. They have tried to persuade us not to meet with representatives of Russia and Belarus. But I think this is a dead-end. If you can't reach out to those with whom we have conflicts and you can't discuss these conflicts, then we will never find a peaceful solution," Szijjarto said.
Earlier, Szijjarto had announced his intention to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in the second half of the week, and advised his Western European colleagues to do the same.
In June, Hungary's foreign minister said he was in contact with his Russian counterpart to keep alive the chance for a solution in Ukraine. He has also repeatedly called on EU and NATO countries not to cut off communication channels with Russia, stressing that peace can only be achieved through dialogue.
The high-level week of the UN General Assembly takes place from September 19 to 26. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is heading the Russian delegation.