Hungary will be exempted from US sanctions for buying Russian energy for a period of one year, a White House official said, according to Reuters, after a meeting on Friday between US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Washington, D.C.
The official's name and title were not disclosed. Trump has not confirmed the report himself.
Prior to the meeting with Orbán, Trump had said that he was considering exempting Hungary from US sanctions on oil from Russia.
- We are considering it because it is very difficult for him to get oil and gas from other areas. As you know, they don't have the advantage of being on the sea, Trump told reporters at the White House, according to the AFP news agency.
After the meeting, Hungary's Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, wrote on the social media X that Trump had exempted Hungary from US sanctions at the meeting.
- The US has given Hungary a full and unlimited exemption from sanctions on oil and gas. We are grateful for this decision, which guarantees Hungary's energy security, Szijjarto wrote.
Friday's meeting between Orbán and Trump was the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders since Trump took office in January.
Trump has recently put pressure on EU countries to stop buying Russian oil and gas, thereby putting further pressure on Russia's economy and ability to wage war in Ukraine.
Hungary has maintained its imports of Russian energy since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This has drawn criticism from other EU countries and NATO allies.
Ahead of Friday's meeting, Hungarian officials have said, according to Reuters, that Orbán hopes to be exempted from US sanctions on Russian oil.
He also hopes to get plans for a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin back on track, the sources said. Trump and Putin had expressed a desire to meet in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, but the meeting has now been postponed.
/ritzau/
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