Orban Secures US Sanctions Exemption for Russian Energy After Trump Meeting

By Staff, Agencies

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says he has secured a one-year exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy following a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump — a move that will allow Russian oil and gas to continue flowing to Hungary despite mounting Western pressure.

According to a White House official speaking on background, the waiver applies to Russian gas delivered through the TurkStream pipeline and oil supplied via the Druzhba pipeline. Orban told Hungarian reporters that he directly requested the exemption, and Trump agreed.

“We asked the president to lift the sanctions,” Orban said. “We agreed and the president decided … the sanctions will not be applied to these two pipelines.”

The deal underscores the unusually close alignment between the two nationalist leaders, even as Hungary faces intense criticism from the European Union for refusing to scale back its reliance on Russian energy. Most EU members have dramatically reduced — or cut entirely — their imports since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Orban insists access to Russian energy remains “vital” for Hungary, a landlocked country that depends heavily on pipeline infrastructure. He warned of severe consequences for Hungarian households and industry if US sanctions moved forward.

As part of the broader talks, the United States said Hungary agreed to purchase American liquefied natural gas worth roughly $600 million. The two governments also committed to expanding cooperation on nuclear energy, including small modular reactors. Orban added that Hungary will begin buying nuclear fuel from US-based Westinghouse Electric Company, though Budapest will continue importing Russian fuel for its Paks nuclear plant.

Orban arrived in Washington with a large entourage of ministers, business executives, and influential right-wing figures, traveling in a chartered 220-seat Wizz Air jet. His visit came as US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan resolution urging Hungary to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels and align with the EU’s goal of phasing out Russian energy by 2027.

“Europe has made extraordinary progress cutting its energy ties with Moscow,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen said, warning that Hungary’s stance “undermines collective security and emboldens the Kremlin.”

During the trip, Orban also met Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of Brazil’s former president, praising the family as victims of political persecution after Bolsonaro’s conviction for plotting a coup. “Political witch-hunts have no place in democracy,” Orban wrote on social media.