Hungary hopes to be exempt from the sanctions imposed by the United States on Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft so that it can continue to buy oil and gas from Russia, the Hungarian Minister of Administration said this Thursday, 30th.
“Our goal is for the President [Donald] Trump maintain position [sobre a situação especial de Budapeste] and that Hungary can benefit from an exception to US sanctions”, Gergely Gulyás told journalists in Budapest.
Trump recently stated that Hungary is in a special situation, as it has no access to the sea or ports.
He noted that the European country also does not have sufficient domestic production to meet its needs, which forces it to import energy sources.
On October 22, the United States announced sanctions against Russia’s two major oil companies in response to Russia’s “lack of a serious commitment to a peace process that puts an end to the war in Ukraine.”
The Hungarian Prime Minister, the ultranationalist Viktor Orbán, is expected to meet with Trump on Tuesday, November 7, in Washington.
Among other topics, Orbán will be able to address the issue of sanctions and possible exceptions with Trump, added the Hungarian minister, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
Orbán is a close ally of Trump, but also of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hungary buys 65% of the oil and 85% of the gas it consumes from Russia, which explains Budapest’s firm opposition to European Union (EU) sanctions against Moscow that affect the energy sector.
The Hungarian Government usually cites the lack of access to the sea as the main obstacle to stopping purchasing energy from Russia.
An alternative for Hungary would be supply through the “Adria” pipeline, from neighboring Croatia, but Budapest claims that this connection would not be sufficient and would have higher costs, something that the Croatian Government disputes.
Sanctions from the United States, the EU and other allies of Kiev are aimed at affecting Russia’s ability to finance the war effort in Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.