The White House has denied statements by Hungarian officials about Hungary’s alleged indefinite exemption from US sanctions on imports of Russian oil and gas. An unnamed White House official said in comments to Reuters on 8 November that the exemption would only be in place for one year.
The official added that Hungary is also diversifying its energy purchases and has pledged to buy U.S. liquefied natural gas under contracts worth about $600 million.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said after their meeting at the White House on 7 November that his country had received an exemption from U.S. sanctions related to Russian energy. “We have received full exemption from sanctions for the Turkish Stream and Druzhba pipelines,” Orban told a news conference after meeting with Trump at the White House.
Orban, who has often criticised Europe for taking what he called a “tough” stance against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Russian energy was “vital” to Hungary.
He added that Hungary’s landlocked geographical position limits its options and forces it to buy Russian oil exported through the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine.
Restricting access to Russian energy would have profound consequences for Hungarians, Orban said, adding that the issue was not about politics.
Later, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook that it was about “indefinite exemption from sanctions”.
US President Donald Trump has insisted that European countries stop buying Russian oil to stop Moscow’s revenues being used for its war against Ukraine.
Last month, the United States imposed sanctions on two major Russian oil companies as Trump’s frustration grew over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to end the war against Ukraine.