Viktor Orban, who has called access to Russian oil and gas a “vital” issue for his landlocked country, had the most to gain from a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. And he did.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday his country received an exemption from US sanctions on imports of Russian oil.
Orban was speaking with reporters from Hungarian media outlets following his talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump was hosting Orban at the White House, with much of the visit having centered around Orban’s request that Trump provide Hungary with an exemption from US sanctions on purchases of Russian oil.
Hungary “received full exemption from sanctions” for Russian oil and gas delivered to Hungary from the Druzhba and TurkStream pipelines, Orban said.
“We asked the president to lift the sanctions,” Orban said, adding that Hungary is “in a significantly different situation than other European countries.”
According to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Hungary was granted a one-year exemption.
Hungary pushes for US exemption on Russian oil and gas
Orban earlier said he would tell Trump “the consequences for the Hungarian people and for the Hungarian economy not to get oil and gas from Russia.”
“Because we are supplied by pipelines. Pipeline is not an ideological or political issue. It’s a physical reality because we don’t have port(s),” Orban said.
The US president said during the public portion of a bilateral meeting earlier that he was considering granting Hungary a waiver from Russian oil sanctions.
“We are looking at it because it is very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you know they don’t have the advantage of having sea,” Trump told reporters.
Trump calls on Europe to ‘respect’ Hungary
Trump also said that European Union leaders should show more respect to Orban, who has thumbed his nose at them over migration.
“I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because he’s been right on immigration,” he said.
Last month, Trump announced that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. However, the meeting was postponed after Russia rejected a ceasefire.
Shortly before a meeting between Trump and Orban, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto revealed plans to buy nuclear fuel rods from the United States.
According to a report by the state agency MTI, the rods would be used in two Russian-built nuclear power plants.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/trump-exempts-hungary-from-sanctions-for-buying-russian-oil/a-74668348