Washington/Brussels — President Donald Trump has given Hungary a one-year reprieve from U.S. sanctions targeting Russian oil exports, easing pressure on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government as it grapples with heavy reliance on Russian energy, a White House official told CNN.
The waiver softens the impact of sanctions imposed last month on two major Russian oil firms and follows Orbán’s visit to the White House, where Trump praised the Hungarian leader and framed Budapest’s predicament as a function of geography. “They don’t have the advantage of having sea,” Trump said, calling it “very difficult” for Hungary to source fuel elsewhere.
The move marks a notable carve-out for a close Trump ally and could raise questions about the administration’s resolve in uniformly enforcing penalties designed to sap Kremlin revenues amid the war in Ukraine. Analysts warn that selective leniency may embolden other partners to seek exemptions, potentially weakening the broader sanctions regime.
Hungary and Slovakia remain the only EU countries still receiving Russian crude via the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline after the bloc largely phased out seaborne Russian oil in 2022. Brussels initially granted temporary exemptions to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to allow time to diversify. Instead, Hungary deepened its exposure: Russian crude accounted for roughly 92% of its oil imports this year, up from about 61% before the invasion, according to independent research groups.
Orbán has argued that alternatives are constrained without upgrades to the Adria pipeline through Croatia, a claim researchers dispute, saying existing capacity could meet regional needs with proper planning. EU states have also slashed Russian pipeline gas from about 40% of imports pre-war to near 11% in 2024 and agreed to ban all Russian gas from 2028 — a move Hungary and Slovakia opposed.
For Orbán, the U.S. waiver averts what he had warned would be an economic shock if Russian supplies were abruptly curtailed. It also preserves space for his push to reset ties with Washington after sanctions and public rebukes over democratic backsliding under the Biden administration. “We are in a good position to open up a new chapter — a golden age — between the United States and Hungary,” Orbán said.
Trump, who has criticized European purchases of Russian energy, suggested the exemption reflects Hungary’s unique constraints, while he chastised other European buyers that “don’t have those problems.” He added his team is discussing a possible meeting between Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, a summit the White House floated and then shelved last month.
