The United States has granted Hungary a one-year exemption from sanctions on Russian oil. The White House reports it. The statement came from a US administration official after talks between US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Meanwhile, Budapest has committed to buying US liquefied natural gas worth about $600 million, the American official added.
YESTERDAY’S DAY:
Viktor Orban may be satisfied with his first visit to the White House since Donald Trump’s re-election. The Hungarian prime minister not only received the endorsement of the American president, who urged Europe to “respect him more”, but above all he obtained an opening towards exemption from sanctions on Russian oil. And he saw his aspiration as a mediator in the war in Ukraine confirmed: “If there was a meeting with Putin, I would like it to be held in Budapest”, said the tycoon.
“I am evaluating the issue,” The Donald declared, admitting that he was aware that the sanctions against Moscow could be more harmful for Budapest than for other countries.
“It is very difficult for Orban to obtain oil and gas from other areas. As you know, they do not have the advantage of having the sea”, underlined the tycoon. According to Bloomberg, the Hungarian oil refining company Mol Nyrt. has found an alternative with an oil pipeline from Croatia. But in his meeting with Trump the Hungarian prime minister maintained the point. “I will explain to him what the consequences would be for our people and our economy if we did not get oil and gas from Russia,” he said before entering the White House entrance. Trump has already removed some of the sanctions imposed by Joe Biden’s administration on Hungary but others remain, including the suspension of the tax treaty between the two countries. However, it is the ones announced by Washington last month in an attempt to put pressure on Putin and put an end to the conflict that worry the Hungarian prime minister the most. Hungary imports 86% of its oil from Russia, an amount that has increased since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the group the Atlantic Council.
Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke on the issue. Ukraine “cannot allow” Russia to profit from the sale of oil to Hungary,” the Ukrainian president was quoted by Ukrainska Pravda as saying. “We will not allow the Russians to sell oil there. It’s a matter of time. It’s a question of position,” he stressed.
As for the other major topic of the bilateral meeting, the summit with Vladimir Putin, the two leaders left the door open but without going unbalanced. Orban hinted at a “series of proposals” that he would present privately to the American president. The White House occupant said that “there is always a possibility” that it could happen and, if so, that he would like it to take place in “Budapest”. “We don’t meet because he doesn’t stop” fighting, Trump said, referring to the czar.
Although the Hungarian prime minister pointed out that he “did not come to Washington to ask Trump to solve his problems with the EU”, the commander-in-chief offered him his support by urging European Union leaders to show more respect for the right-wing leader. “He was right about immigration. Look, however, at what happened in Europe. They are flooding it”, declared the American president. “If you go to some countries, they are now unrecognizable because of what they did. And Hungary is very recognisable,” he urged. Orban, of course, defended his position and harshly attacked the financial sanctions imposed by Brussels on Hungary for defying the Union on immigration.
“This is the absurd world we live in now in Europe,” he said. “We are the only government in Europe that considers itself Christian. All the others are basically left-liberal governments,” he added.
But the Hungarian prime minister doesn’t need Trump only on sanctions and relations with Europe. According to internal sources, Orban’s priority is to convince Trump to visit Hungary before the April elections. A visit by the American president would strengthen his role as a statesman and energize his conservative base, somewhat like what happened to Javier Milei in Argentina.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
