WASHINGTON — The United States has granted Hungary a one-year exemption from sanctions on importing Russian oil and gas following a meeting between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Donald Trump at the White House. The decision, confirmed by a White House official to Reuters, came after Orbán urged Trump to consider Hungary’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.
The exemption follows sanctions Trump imposed last month on Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft over the war in Ukraine, threatening penalties for countries buying from them. Orbán argued that Hungary, a landlocked nation, lacks alternatives to Russian energy imports and warned that losing access would severely harm its economy.
In exchange, Hungary reportedly committed to purchasing about $600 million in U.S. liquefied natural gas and nuclear fuel. Trump praised Orbán as a “great leader,” citing his strict immigration policies and urging European leaders to show him greater respect. Orbán, in turn, lauded Trump’s foreign policy and criticized the previous Biden administration as “rigged.”
Orbán has also expressed hopes of reviving talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war, a stance that has drawn criticism from EU leaders wary of Hungary’s close ties to Moscow.
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