Trump: Hungary is exempted from U.S. sanctions against Russia

Europe - On November 07, U.S. President Trump met with visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán at the White House. According to the latest news, Trump has decided to grant Hungary an indefinite exemption, allowing it to be exempt from sanctions on Russian oil and gas, which is the biggest gain for Orbán in his meeting with Trump.

Trump called on Europe to "respect" Hungarian leader Orbán. Trump said, "They should respect Hungary, who is very, very worthy of respect as a leader because he is right on the immigration issue."

The main topic of this meeting was the U.S. attempt to persuade Hungary to give up its reliance on Russian oil.

Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán stated that his country relies on Russian crude oil and natural gas, and "is seeking ways to circumvent the sanctions." He pointed out:

"Hungary's economy heavily depends on Russian crude oil and natural gas, so it is discussing the construction of a sustainable system. Without Russian oil and natural gas, energy prices would skyrocket, and reserves would be insufficient."

Orbán believes this is a "life-or-death" issue for his country. Although Trump expressed friendliness towards Orbán, he emphasized that he would not support exemptions for purchasing Russian oil.

In the discussion, Trump reiterated his praise for Orbán, considering him a great leader and mentioning his expectation for his success in the parliamentary elections. Additionally, they discussed the possibility of a summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest, and Orbán expressed doubt about Ukraine's chances of winning the war.

He also criticized the EU's policy on the Ukraine war, claiming that "the only governments supporting peace are the United States and Hungary."

Trump once considered holding a meeting with Russian President Putin in Budapest to end the conflict. Orbán is one of the few European leaders who maintains close relations with both the U.S. and Russian presidents.

Hungary will hold elections in April 2026. Daniel Hegedüs, an expert on Central and Eastern Europe at the German Marshall Fund, told AFP that Trump "has proven that he is willing to help Orbán, as they are ideological allies," especially with the election approaching.

Source: rfi

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848173039385604/

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