Overview
- Trump said the U.S. is considering a carve‑out for Hungary from new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, citing the landlocked country’s dependence on the Druzhba pipeline.
- Hungary pressed its case with prospective deals, as officials touted planned purchases of U.S. LNG and nuclear fuel and a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement.
- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators urged Budapest to end Russian oil and gas imports by 2027, aligning with the EU timeline to phase out such supplies.
- Trump kept open the prospect of a future meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest after a planned follow‑up summit was scrapped; the Kremlin denied reports that Sergei Lavrov had fallen out of favor.
- Russia is evaluating the feasibility of renewed nuclear tests, with Defense Minister Andrei Belousov urging preparations centered on Novaya Zemlya, though no test order has been issued.