Overview
- Hungary received a one-year exemption from U.S. sanctions on importing Russian oil and gas, a White House official told Reuters.
- U.S. officials publicly rejected Hungarian claims of an indefinite carve-out after Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó asserted open-ended relief.
- Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary obtained relief covering the Druzhba and TurkStream pipelines following his meeting with President Donald Trump.
- Hungary agreed to contracts for about $600 million of U.S. liquefied natural gas and pledged broader energy diversification as part of the arrangement.
- Washington’s broader sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, announced on October 23, remain in force as the U.S. seeks to curb Moscow’s war financing, while IMF data show Hungary still relied on Russia for 74% of its gas and 86% of its oil in 2024.