Hungary’s Orbán Plans Washington Visit to Seek Relief From US Sanctions on Russian Oil

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he plans to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week to discuss ways to shield Hungary from the impact of new US sanctions on Russian oil, Bloomberg reported on October 27.

Hungary remains one of the most energy-dependent countries in the European Union, still sourcing the majority of its oil and gas from Russia. While most EU members have worked to cut ties with Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Budapest has increased its purchases—a policy now under strain after Washington imposed sanctions on Russia’s top oil producers, Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.

The EU also announced a full transaction ban on both firms and plans to phase out Russian LNG imports by 2027, Bloomberg writes.

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Hungary Has Alternatives to Russian Energy, Yet It Clings to the Kremlin

Feb 26, 2025 17:19

“I will soon be in Washington to discuss this with President Trump. We will try to find a way out, especially for Hungary,” Orbán said in an interview with La Repubblica during his visit to Rome. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed the meeting would take place in the second half of next week.

The US has rejected Budapest’s claim that its landlocked geography leaves it no alternative to Russian oil imports, pointing to a pipeline route through Croatia with sufficient capacity to supply Hungary and Slovakia.

“Hungary, unlike many of their neighbors, has not made any plans or active steps to reduce Russian energy imports,” said US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. “So we’re going to continue to work with them and we’re going to work with their neighbors like Croatia, and other countries that can help them wean themselves off.”

Orbán’s government maintains that switching away from Russian energy would raise costs and risk domestic price stability ahead of next year’s elections, where his party faces growing opposition amid a cost-of-living crisis, according to Bloomberg.

Previously, it was reported that Viktor Orban has announced that his government is actively working to circumvent new US sanctions targeting major Russian oil companies.

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