Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban showered U.S. President Donald Trump with reward throughout his White Home go to on Friday in an effort to safe an exemption to threatened U.S. sanctions. Though Orban is one among Trump’s fiercest allies on the world stage, their friendship has turn into strained in latest months over Budapest’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
Final month, Trump introduced sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil corporations to attempt to reduce off the Kremlin’s most important supply of funding for its struggle effort. These will take impact on Nov. 21. However Washington’s penalties don’t finish there. Trump additionally threatened to impose secondary sanctions in opposition to international locations that proceed to buy Russian oil—particularly, China, India, and Hungary.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban showered U.S. President Donald Trump with reward throughout his White Home go to on Friday in an effort to safe an exemption to threatened U.S. sanctions. Though Orban is one among Trump’s fiercest allies on the world stage, their friendship has turn into strained in latest months over Budapest’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
Final month, Trump introduced sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil corporations to attempt to reduce off the Kremlin’s most important supply of funding for its struggle effort. These will take impact on Nov. 21. However Washington’s penalties don’t finish there. Trump additionally threatened to impose secondary sanctions in opposition to international locations that proceed to buy Russian oil—particularly, China, India, and Hungary.
Budapest is the largest purchaser of Russian crude within the European Union. And whereas different EU international locations are working to wean themselves off Russian power, Hungary has gone the opposite path. Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Hungary’s reliance on Russian oil jumped from 61 % pre-invasion to 86 % in 2024.
Orban has repeatedly denounced penalties on international locations that purchase Russian oil, accusing them of injuring Hungary’s economic system at a time when the prime minister is dealing with one among his hardest reelection bids in his profession. Notably, Orban has additionally been one of many friendliest European leaders towards Moscow’s ambitions. Like Trump, he has beforehand recommended that Ukraine cede territory to Russia to finish the struggle.
Hungary already has an exemption from European Union sanctions on Russian crude. However to get one from america, consultants recommend that Orban may have to supply concessions, resembling dropping his opposition to NATO sending navy assist to Ukraine and his stance in opposition to permitting Kyiv to hitch the EU.
Learn extra in in the present day’s World Transient: Orban Seeks Exemption From U.S. Penalties on Russian Oil Imports.
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