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US President Donald Trump spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the White House on Friday and said he was considering granting Hungary an exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy.
“We’re looking at it because it’s very difficult for him to get oil and gas from other places,” Trump said.
Prime Minister Orbán said this was a “grave” issue for the landlocked country and said he would discuss with Trump the “impact on the Hungarian people” if sanctions were to come into force.
Prime Minister Orbán said in comments on Friday that he would present President Trump with several “proposals” to implement the exemption.
“I’m not asking the Americans for any gifts or anything unusual. I’m just asking for recognition that the recent sanctions imposed on Russian energy have put certain countries, like Hungary, without access to the sea, in an impossible situation,” Orbán said on state radio.
“I ask the president to acknowledge that.”
A large delegation of ministers, business leaders, and a number of political influencers with close ties to the Hungarian government accompanied President Orbán to Washington.
The delegation rented a 220-seater commercial jet from Hungarian airline Wizz Air for the trip.
Ahead of Mr. Orban’s arrival on Thursday, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a resolution calling on Hungary to end its dependence on Russian energy.
The resolution was co-signed by 10 senators, including Republicans Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Thom Tillis (North Carolina), and Chuck Grassley (Iowa), and Democrats Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) and Chris Coons (Delaware).
The statement “expresses concern that Hungary shows no signs of reducing its dependence on Russian fossil fuels” and calls on Budapest to comply with the European Union’s plan to end all Russian energy imports into the region by the end of 2027.
“Europe has made tremendous progress in cutting energy ties with Moscow, but Hungary’s actions continue to undermine collective security and embolden the Kremlin,” Shaheen said in a statement.
The resolution “sends a clear message that all allies, including Hungary, must follow the same standards when it comes to Russian energy purchases,” she continued.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said he would sign a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, Hungarian state news agency MTI reported.
The agreement includes Hungary’s first purchase of U.S.-made nuclear fuel, which it currently buys from Russia, and the introduction of U.S. technology for on-site storage of spent fuel at Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant.
The agreement also includes cooperation on small modular nuclear reactors.
After arriving in Washington, Prime Minister Orban and some senior officials met with Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September for plotting a coup after losing the election.
“In these difficult times, we firmly support Mr. Bolsonaro, a friend and ally who will never give up. Keep fighting. Political witch-hunts have no place in a democracy. Truth and justice must prevail!” Prime Minister Orbán wrote on social media.
Additional sources of information • AP