Hungary is seeking ways to circumvent US sanctions on Russia, Orbán says

Hungary is seeking ways to circumvent US sanctions imposed on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said. According to Reuters, Orbán made the remarks today in an interview with state radio station Kossuth Rádió, adding that he had discussed the situation with Hungarian energy company MOL.

On Wednesday, the United States announced sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, and dozens of their subsidiaries. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington had imposed the sanctions because Russian President Vladimir Putin was refusing to end the war against Ukraine. A little later, US President Donald Trump said he had cancelled a planned summit with his Russian counterpart in Budapest because holding it no longer seemed appropriate.

Orbán’s attempt to circumvent US sanctions has also attracted attention because the Hungarian prime minister has long been one of Trump’s strongest supporters among European leaders. At the same time, he is Putin’s closest ally within the European Union.