Orbán Meets Trump at White House; Hungary Exempted from Sanctions for Buying Russian Energy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited the White House on the 7th and met with U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. government officials subsequently confirmed that Hungary's purchases of oil and natural gas from Russia would be exempt from American sanctions for a period of one year. Orbán stated that a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital Budapest remains on the agenda.

According to Reuters and Agence France-Presse, Orbán and Trump sat side-by-side in the White House Cabinet Room on the 7th, with the meeting atmosphere described as "warm." This was the first bilateral meeting between the two since Trump returned to the White House in January of this year.

Orbán is considered an ally of Trump, having visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida three times in 2024 to meet his "dear friend." However, since Trump began his second term, measures from the U.S. administration have had complex implications for Hungary.

Hungary is one of the few landlocked countries in the European Union and is highly dependent on Russia for its energy supply. After the Ukraine crisis escalated significantly in February 2022, the United States and European countries imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russian energy and other sectors, affecting Hungary. Data from the International Monetary Fund shows that in 2024, 74% of Hungary's natural gas and 86% of its oil were imported from Russia.

On October 22, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against Russian state-owned company Rosneft and private company Lukoil to pressure Russia into an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine. A day later, EU member states formally approved the 19th round of sanctions against Russia.