“There are still differences”: Hungary and the US have not finally agreed on the duration of exemption from anti-Russian sanctions

Hungary and the United States are at odds over the terms of Budapest’s exemption from US sanctions on energy imports from Russia. After claims of an agreement, the parties have confirmed that there is only a verbal agreement without formal confirmation.

This is reported by The Guardian .

The Hungarian government said it had secured an indefinite waiver from sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports after Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with the White House recently, a deal reportedly intended to help Budapest avoid higher energy prices ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

Journalists noted that the United States did not confirm the indefinite nature of the agreements . Administration officials emphasized that the release was for only one year, and formal mechanisms for its consolidation have not yet been created.

Sources in the United States State Department said that no official notification of the sanctions relief had been received. According to them, negotiations between the parties will take time before they can lead to concrete decisions. There is also an option that secondary sanctions against Hungary may simply not be applied.

Congressional representatives said they had not received confirmation of a complete lifting of sanctions , and pro-Orbán circles may be exaggerating the significance of previous agreements.

“All we’ve heard is that there’s a one-year delay. We’ll get some kind of message from Congress, but we haven’t received it yet,” one of the congressman’s aides said.

Journalists reported that uncertainty has become a characteristic feature of deals between the Donald Trump administration and foreign governments, and that the outcome of the meeting could be largely symbolic, they said.

The article emphasizes that some Republicans in Congress are skeptical of Viktor Orbán’s relations with Russia, as well as his position on national security issues, including the situation in Ukraine.

“Orban still maintains close relations with Putin and is not helping Zelensky,” said one of the congressman’s aides.

It was previously reported that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban managed to secure a one-year postponement of sanctions related to the use of Russian oil and gas from the United States . This came as a result of the meeting between Orban and US President Donald Trump, which took place on November 7. The agreement provides that Hungary will also purchase American liquefied natural gas worth about $600 million.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is seeking to arrange a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. According to sources familiar with the matter, Orban sees the meeting as a strategic step to strengthen his role on the international stage and pave the way for a potential resolution of key issues, including Europe’s energy security, as well as political planning for the upcoming Hungarian elections, according to The Guardian.

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