Madrid believes that Putin-friendly Budapest can take advantage of the company’s advanced technologies at the expense of Kyiv.
Spain has vetoed Hungary’s Ganz-Mávag’s €619 million purchase of Madrid train maker Talgo over concerns that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Russia-friendly government would have access to technology that could be useful in Ukraine. It was reported by the Financial Times.
Talgo, with advanced technologies for automatically changing the width of railway tracks, can play an important role in the restoration of Ukrainian infrastructure and the integration of its railway network with Europe, according to official Madrid . The media recalled that in Ukraine the railway is wider than the European one, which complicates the transportation of passengers and goods.
Talgo says its interchangeable track system “allows the train to change the track gauge while traveling at a speed of about 15 km/h and without the need to stop.”
Talgo was a pioneer in the development of gauge change technology and is still considered a leader in this field, even though most of its key patents have expired and other train manufacturers now have similar developments.
The ban in Spain was enacted against the backdrop of the Hungarian government’s close relationship with Russia. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly criticized Orbán as a “pro-Putin” leader, saying the Hungarian prime minister is “trying to bend Ukraine’s head.”
The Hungarian company has already announced its intention to challenge Spain’s decision in court. Ganz-Mávag representatives rejected the idea that their interest in Talgo was related to gauge change technologies, and also said that this decision was purely political.
Source: korrespondent
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