Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a bilateral luncheon hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, astatine the White House successful Washington, D.C., U.S., Nov. 7, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
The United States has granted Hungary a one-year exemption from U.S. sanctions for utilizing Russian lipid and gas, a White House authoritative said connected Friday, aft Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pressed his lawsuit for a reprieve during a affable gathering with President Donald Trump successful Washington.
Last month, Trump imposed Ukraine-related sanctions connected Russian lipid companies Lukoil and Rosneft that carried the menace of further sanctions connected entities successful countries that bargain lipid from those firms.
Orban, a long-time Trump ally, met with Trump astatine the White House connected Friday for their archetypal bilateral gathering since the Republican returned to powerfulness and explained wherefore his state needed to usage Russian lipid astatine a clip erstwhile Trump has been pressing Europe to halt doing so.
Orban said the contented was captious for Hungary, which is simply a European country, and pledged to laic retired "the consequences for the Hungarian people, and for the Hungarian economy, not to get lipid and state from Russia."
Trump, aiming to enactment unit connected Moscow to extremity its warfare with Ukraine, appeared sympathetic to Orban's position.
"We're looking astatine it, due to the fact that it's precise antithetic for him to get the lipid and state from different areas," Trump said. "As you know, they don't person ... the vantage of having sea. It's a large country, it's a large country, but they don't person sea. They don't person the ports."
"But galore European countries are buying lipid and state from Russia, and they person been for years," Trump added. "And I said, 'What's that each about?'"
The White House authoritative noted that, successful summation to the sanctions exemption, Hungary had committed to buying U.S. liquefied earthy state with contracts valued astatine immoderate $600 million.
Hungary has maintained its reliance connected Russian vigor since the commencement of the 2022 struggle successful Ukraine, prompting disapproval from respective European Union and NATO allies.
International Monetary Fund figures amusement Hungary relied connected Russia for 74% of its state and 86% of its lipid successful 2024, informing that an EU-wide cutoff of Russian earthy state unsocial could unit output losses successful Hungary exceeding 4% of GDP.
The 2 men besides discussed Russia's warfare with Ukraine.
Trump said past period that helium would conscionable Russian President Vladimir Putin successful the Hungarian capital, but the gathering was enactment connected clasp aft Russia rejected a ceasefire.
Trump connected Friday said Russia simply did not privation to halt fighting. "The basal quality is they conscionable don't privation to halt yet. And I deliberation they will," helium said.
The president asked Orban if helium thought Ukraine could triumph the war. A "miracle tin happen," Orban responded.
Economic Cooperation
Greater economical practice betwixt the U.S. and Hungary was besides connected the agenda. Orban predicted a "golden age" betwixt the 2 nations and made a constituent of criticizing President Joe Biden's administration, a definite mode to garner favour with Trump, who continues to usage Biden arsenic a predominant foil.
The Hungarian leader, who faces an predetermination successful 2026, has cultivated a beardown idiosyncratic rapport with Trump implicit the years, including connected their shared hard-line migration policies. Trump connected Friday gave Orban his enactment for the election.
"He has not made a mistake connected immigration. So he's respected by everybody, he's liked by immoderate ... I similar and respect him, I'm a double," Trump said. "And that's the mode Hungary is being led. They're being led properly, and that's wherefore he's going to beryllium precise palmy successful his upcoming election."
The EU's apical tribunal ruled past twelvemonth that Hungary indispensable wage a 200-million-euro ($216 million) good for not implementing changes to its argumentation of handling migrants and asylum seekers astatine its border. It indispensable besides wage a regular good of 1 cardinal euros until it afloat implements the measures.
Orban referenced the good during his gathering with Trump but said Hungary would grip its intra-EU disputes connected its own.
A tangible motion of Hungary's improved ties with the U.S. nether the Trump medication came past period erstwhile the U.S. afloat restored Hungary's presumption successful its visa waiver program.
Hungary has pushed backmost against plans by the European Commission to signifier retired the EU's imports of each Russian state and LNG by the extremity of 2027, deepening a rift with Brussels implicit relations with Moscow.
Ratings bureau S&P noted that Hungary has 1 of the astir energy-intensive economies successful Europe – and that its home refineries are built to process Russian Urals crude oil.
While it said state supplies from Azerbaijan and Qatar could assistance regenerate Russian supply, it warned that Hungary's fiscal and outer accounts stay susceptible to an vigor shock.
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