Exemption from sanctions Russian oil for Hungary? Trump accommodates Orban
Hungary's head of government Orban wanted to obtain a special arrangement for his country in Washington regarding energy imports from Russia. Apparently he was successful. At least for the time being.
08.11.2025, 11:14
dpa
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- During a visit to Donald Trump, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán apparently achieved a special arrangement for the import of Russian oil and gas.
- Because Hungary is so dependent on Russian energy, it can import it for a year longer without fear of sanctions.
- Criticism of Hungary comes from Kiev and the EU:
US President Donald Trump is apparently granting Hungary an exemption from the sanctions against Russian oil companies and wants to allow the EU state to import energy from Russia for another year.
This was Trump's promise to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during his visit to Washington, reported several media outlets such as the TV channel CNN, citing White House representatives. The government headquarters did not comment on this publicly, but Orban himself also spoke of a special arrangement for his country.
The US government imposed new sanctions against Russian energy companies in October, which could also result in secondary sanctions against buyers. Hungary, on the other hand, is heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies and has repeatedly obstructed EU sanctions against Moscow due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Orban points to a lack of alternatives
Immediately after the meeting with Trump in the White House, Orban reported that the Republican had granted his country a special arrangement because there were no short-term alternatives. "With regard to the Turkish Stream (natural gas) pipeline and the Druzhba (oil) pipeline, Hungary will receive full exemption from sanctions," Orban was quoted as saying by the state news agency MTI.
Trump and Orban agree on many issues.
Image: dpa
The two heads of government spoke about energy trade, among other things.
Image: dpa
Trump and Orban agree on many issues.
Image: dpa
The two heads of government spoke about energy trade, among other things.
Image: dpa
Hungary's dependence on Russian oil and gas is also due to the fact that Orban's government - unlike other EU countries such as Germany and Bulgaria - has never made any serious efforts to free the country from Moscow's grip. In the EU, the Hungarian government obtained an exemption that allows Russian oil imports via pipelines.
Hungary has been linked to Russia via such a pipeline since communist times. In the public part of the meeting, Trump had shown himself to be open to a possible exemption and said that Hungary's request was being "looked into" because Ukraine's neighboring country has no access to seaports as a landlocked country. However, this also applies to some other EU states.
EU plan envisages renouncing Russian imports
On November 6, Republican and Democratic US senators had called on Hungary in a joint resolution to reduce its dependence on Russian energy and to adhere to the EU plan to completely forego Russian imports by the end of 2027.
Hungary obtains the majority of its oil via the "Druzhba" pipeline, which runs through Ukraine. Although there is a second pipeline via Croatia, Orban argues that this can currently only be used as a supplement. He described security of supply as "vital" and warned of the consequences for the economy and households if Russian oil were to be cut off in the short term.
While Trump criticized other unnamed European states for continuing to buy large quantities of Russian energy, he presented Hungary as a special case. The landlocked country has difficult conditions without access to ports through which ships can deliver oil from other regions and is therefore "in a different position".
Selenskyj wants to put an end to the oil trade
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is calling for a complete ban on all energy imports into the EU - and expressed his confidence on Telegram that this goal would be achieved.
Ukraine would not allow the Russians to sell oil to EU countries. Relations between Kiev and Budapest are tense due to Hungary's energy trade with Moscow. Ukraine has already attacked the "Druzhba" pipeline on Russian territory several times.
Orban had traveled to the meeting at the White House with a large delegation of ministers, entrepreneurs and political allies. Many EU partners accuse his government of weakening the common front against Moscow and making little effort to find oil alternatives.
Trump again brings Budapest into play for meeting with Putin
This is another reason why Trump's support is important for the right-wing conservative prime minister. He is also hoping for a tailwind for the Hungarian parliamentary elections, which are due in a few months' time.
During the meeting, Trump also commented on the next personal meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin about an end to the war in Ukraine, which is still a long way off. The US president is sticking to the Hungarian capital as a possible meeting venue.
"If it (the meeting) takes place, I would like to hold it in Budapest," Trump replied to a question from journalists. He did not give a specific reason why this city was chosen.
Whether a meeting will take place is completely unclear. In mid-October, Trump had spoken of a meeting in Budapest within two weeks. However, in subsequent talks with representatives of Moscow, the Americans probably came to the conclusion that the Russians were not intending to back down from their maximum demands against Ukraine.
In the end, Trump postponed the meeting indefinitely. Several days ago, Russia also publicly backed away from a swift meeting with the US President.
