White House denies Hungary's claim of "indefinite" exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy

The administration of US President Donald Trump has denied Budapest's claim that Hungary was granted an indefinite exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports, stressing that the waiver will only apply for one year.

Source: Reuters, citing a White House official

Details: The disagreement over the interpretation of the deal arose after the Hungarian delegation's visit to Washington. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced on Facebook that the talks had been a complete success.

"The prime minister [Viktor Orbán] was clear. He has agreed with the US president that we have obtained an indefinite exemption from the sanctions. There are no sanctions on oil and gas shipments to Hungary for an indefinite period," he wrote.

However, a White House official told Reuters that these claims were inaccurate, clarifying that the exemption will apply only for one year.

According to the US official, the deal also obliges Budapest to diversify its energy imports, including the purchase of about US$600 million worth of US liquefied natural gas.

Orbán met with Trump in Washington on 7 November. The leaders discussed energy security and sanctions policy. Orbán, who has been in power for more than 15 years and is preparing for another election, said the deal with the United States will "protect Hungary's economy from the energy crisis".

Speaking in Washington after the meeting, Orbán also claimed that the exemption covered energy imports through the TurkStream gas pipeline and the Druzhba oil pipeline.

"There are no sanctions restricting supplies to Hungary through these routes or making them more expensive. This exemption is universal and has no time limits," said the Hungarian prime minister.

Hungary's stance on maintaining energy ties with Russia after the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has repeatedly drawn criticism from its allies in the European Union and NATO.

Data from the International Monetary Fund shows that in 2024, 74% of the gas and 86% of the oil imported by Hungary came from Russia.

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