Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán is expected to visit Washington next week for his first bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump since he retook office in January.
Orbán, a Trump ally, disclosed in comments to state radio that he would be accompanied to Washington by a “large delegation” of Ministers, economic officials and security advisers aimed at “a complete review” of US-Hungarian relations.
He said that that Budapest hopes to finalize an economic cooperation package with the US, including new American investments in Hungary. However, he stressed that any deal depends on securing Hungary’s continued access to Russian energy.
Orbán stated that that he would try to persuade the US President to grant Hungary exemptions from Washington’s newly announced sanctions targeting Russian oil when he meets with him next week.
“We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia.”
Viktor Orbán
The Trump administration unveiled sanctions against Russia’s major state-affiliated oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last week, a move that could expose their foreign buyers, including customers in India, China and Central Europe, to secondary sanctions.
While most European Union member states sharply reduced or halted imports of Russian fossil fuels after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained their pipeline deliveries.
According to the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Hungary further increased its energy dependency since the start of the full-scale invasion. In 2022, 61% of Hungary’s crude oil needs were imported from Russia. This year so far, it has risen to 92%, while Slovakia depends almost entirely on Russia for oil imports.
Orbán has long argued that landlocked Hungary has no viable alternatives to Russian crude, and that replacing those supplies would trigger an economic collapse. Critics dispute that claim.
Early this week, Orbán said that Trump had gone too far by targeting Russia’s energy sector, adding that Hungary will find a “way out” from the sanctions while Hungarian Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó said that the government is examining the possible impact of the sanctions, which the US says will stay in place until Russian President Vladimir Putin shows a genuine willingness to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Szijjártó said at a press conference in Budapest on Monday, “As for the American sanctions, since their entry into force is still some way off, these measures have not yet caused any loss or difficulties in terms of our energy imports from Russia.”
Max Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO, talking to a news agency on Sunday, criticised Hungary for not doing enough to end dependency.
“Hungary, unlike many of its neighbours, has not made any plans and has not taken any active steps. We are going to work with their neighbours, like Croatia and other countries, that can help them to wind them off.”
Max Whitaker
Whitaker added, “And that pipeline will most likely shut off in the coming years,” referring to the Druzhba oil pipeline. He noted that Slovakia will have to present a plan to decouple from Russian energy too.
Orbán Labels Ukraine, EU As Primary Impediments To Peace
Moreover, Orbán asserted in his comments to state radio today that both the US administration and Moscow were seeking an end to the war, but that Ukraine and the EU were the primary impediments to peace.
However, a planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest was recently scrapped after Russian officials made clear they opposed an immediate ceasefire in the conflict
The Hungarian leader, widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest partner in the EU, has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin, despite the war, and has taken a combative stance toward Ukraine, portraying the neighboring country as a major threat to Hungary’s security and economy
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