BUDAPEST, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Hungary will sign an

agreement on nuclear power cooperation with the United States,

including a deal to buy American nuclear fuel and U.S.

technology to store spent fuel at a Russian-built nuclear power

plant, Hungary's Foreign Minister said on Friday.

The deal will be signed as U.S. President Donald Trump was

scheduled to sit down for talks with Hungarian Prime Minister

Viktor Orban later on Friday and the two leaders were expected

to discuss Hungary's reliance on Russian oil.

"We will sign a major intergovernmental agreement on

cooperation in nuclear energy with my foreign minister colleague

Marco Rubio," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

Hungary is one of the few EU countries to maintain close

relations with Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and

has been reluctant to reduce its reliance on Russian energy.

Trump is a supporter of fellow right-wing leader Orban

but has called on European countries to cut back on energy links

with Moscow and buy more energy from the United States.

Szijjarto said that Hungary would buy American nuclear fuel

for its Russian-built nuclear plant in Paks to fulfil its

growing energy needs.

Russia's Rosatom is currently building two new reactors in

Paks. The "Paks II" expansion project, which has been

significantly delayed, was awarded in 2014 to Rosatom without a

tender.

"In addition to maintaining existing supplier relations, for

the first time ever in Hungary's energy history we will also

purchase American nuclear fuel," Szijjarto said.

Hungary will also buy American technology that will allow

spent nuclear fuel to be safely stored inside the Paks nuclear

plant, Szijjarto said in a statement.

The agreement will also cover small modular nuclear

reactors, the minister said.

In August, Hungary announced that it was partnering with

Poland's Synthos Green Energy, which holds the rights to GE

Vernova Hitachi's technology on small modular reactors in

central Europe.