After meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on November 7, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that the United States allegedly granted the country an indefinite exemption from sanctions on the import of Russian oil and gas. At the same time, a White House spokesperson clarified that this exemption would be in effect for one year, according to sources.
“By granting a special regime for Hungary, Washington signals to other buyers that they too can continue buying Russian oil and still expect to be spared sanctions”
– Isaac Levi
During a press conference before lunch with Orban, Trump expressed concern about Hungary’s energy dependence, noting that the country has no ports, which creates difficulties.
“They have no ports, and therefore they face a difficult problem”
– Donald Trump
The American leader also added that other European countries, which do not have similar problems, continue to purchase substantial volumes of oil and gas from Russia.
“They do not have these problems, they continue to buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia”
– Donald Trump
CREA analyst Isaac Levi stressed that oil flows that continue to fund Putin’s war in Ukraine are absolutely unnecessary.
“This shows that the oil flows that continue to fund Putin’s war in Ukraine are absolutely unnecessary”
– Isaac Levi
According to the publication, Hungary and Slovakia remain the only EU countries that continue to receive Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline.
According to a CREA report and the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), Hungary and Slovakia could gradually move away from Russian oil, notably by using the Adria pipeline in Croatia. However, Hungary insists that without its expansion the country will not be able to fully meet its needs.
Recall that on November 7, Orban stated that he had received guarantees from the United States regarding Hungary’s exemption from sanctions on Russian energy supplies.
“We have received a full exemption from sanctions on the Turkish Stream and Druzhba pipelines”
– Viktor Orban
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also stated that Washington had provided Budapest with “full and unlimited relief from sanctions on oil and gas,” and expressed gratitude for the decision which, he said, guarantees the country’s energy security.
“The United States has granted Hungary full and unlimited exemption from sanctions on oil and gas. We are grateful for this decision which guarantees Hungary’s energy security”
– Peter Szijjarto
In this context, the developments revolve around a delicate balance between U.S. geopolitics and the energy dependence of Central European countries seeking to secure stable supplies amid the conflict’s escalation.