Trump grants Hungary an exemption from Russian oil sanctions
Washington, 8 November / WAM / US President Donald Trump granted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban an exemption from US sanctions imposed on the purchase of Russian oil and gas, following a meeting between them yesterday at the White House.
Reports varied about the duration of this exemption. While Orban confirmed to journalists (according to the Hungarian news agency MTI) and his Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (on the X platform) that the exemption is “complete and unlimited,” American media sources, including CNN and Agence France-Presse, quoted a White House official as confirming that the exemption is “for one year only.”
Speaking to reporters, Trump justified this measure by saying that Hungary is “a closed country and has no sea,” which makes it forced to rely on Russian pipelines and oil and gas.
On the other hand, the White House official told Agence France-Presse that Hungary pledged to buy liquefied natural gas from the United States worth $600 million.
This US exemption comes in conjunction with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement on Friday of his intention to ensure “no Russian oil in Europe,” criticizing Hungary’s attempts to retain its imports through the Druzhba pipeline.
Zelensky pointed out that Russian energy exports constitute an important source of financing for Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
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