“The administration of US President Donald Trump has denied Budapest’s assertion that Hungary is allegedly exempted indefinitely from US sanctions on the import of Russian oil and gas. In Washington, it was emphasized that the exception will be valid for only one year.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Donald Trump and Viktor Orban. Photo: Getty Images Source: Reuters with reference to the representative of the White House
Details: Differences in the interpretation of the agreements arose after the visit of the Hungarian delegation to Washington. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijarto, announced on his Facebook page that the negotiations were a complete success.
Advertising:
“The Prime Minister (Viktor Orbán – ed.) made it clear: he agreed with the US president that we received an indefinite exemption from sanctions. Sanctions on the supply of oil and gas to Hungary will not be applied indefinitely,” he wrote.
However, a representative of the White House in a comment to the Reuters agency denied these statements, clarifying that the exception will be valid “only for one year.”
According to the American official, the agreement also includes Budapest’s commitment to diversify its energy purchases, in particular, to import US liquefied natural gas worth about $600 million.
Orban’s meeting with Trump took place on Friday in Washington. The leaders discussed energy security and sanctions policy. Orban, who has been in power for more than 15 years and is preparing for another election, said the agreement with the US “will protect the Hungarian economy from the energy crisis”.
Speaking in Washington after the meeting, Orban also announced that the exemption from sanctions extends to the import of energy carriers through the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the Druzhba oil pipeline.
“There are no sanctions that would limit supplies to Hungary via these routes or make them more expensive. This exception is universal and has no time limits,” said the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Hungary’s position on maintaining energy ties with Russia after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has repeatedly drawn criticism from its allies in the European Union and NATO.
According to the International Monetary Fund, in 2024, 74% of the gas and 86% of the oil purchased by Hungary came from Russia.