Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Friday his intention to lobby U.S. President Donald Trump for exemptions from Washington’s newly imposed sanctions targeting Russian oil during their upcoming meeting next week. The Trump administration recently introduced sanctions against major Russian state-affiliated oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, potentially affecting foreign buyers, including those in India, China, and Central Europe, with secondary sanctions. While most European Union nations have significantly reduced or ceased imports of Russian fossil fuels following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have continued pipeline deliveries, with Hungary even increasing its reliance on Russian oil. Orbán, a staunch Trump ally, is set to visit Washington for his first bilateral meeting with the president since Trump’s return to office in January. The Hungarian leader has consistently argued that landlocked Hungary lacks viable alternatives to Russian crude and that replacing these supplies could precipitate an economic collapse, a claim contested by critics. Orbán emphasized the need for the U.S. to understand Hungary’s unique situation to secure exemptions from the sanctions. Widely regarded as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EU, Orbán has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin despite the ongoing conflict and has adopted a confrontational stance toward Ukraine, portraying it as a significant threat to Hungary’s security and economy. Orbán also stated that both the U.S. administration and Moscow are seeking an end to the war, but Ukraine and the EU remain the primary obstacles to peace. A planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest was recently canceled after Russian officials opposed an immediate ceasefire. Orbán will be accompanied by a large delegation of ministers, economic officials, and security advisers to Washington, aiming for a comprehensive review of U.S.-Hungarian relations and the finalization of an economic cooperation package, including new American investments in Hungary. However, Orbán stressed that any deal hinges on securing Hungary’s continued access to Russian energy.
Orbán to press Trump for Hungary’s exemption from new US sanctions on Russian oil
