US President Donald Trump handed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban an exemption from sanctions to keep buying Russian oil on Friday, as the right-wing allies held a chummy White House meeting.
As Orban and Trump heaped praise on each other, the Hungarian nationalist said it would take a “miracle” for Ukraine to beat Moscow, underscoring the gulf between him and other European leaders on the war.
Trump, meanwhile, wholeheartedly backed Orban on the touchstone issue of migration, saying that the Hungarian’s European Union counterparts should show him more respect.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto hailed what he called the “major outcome” of the meeting, Orban’s first at the White House since Trump returned to power in January.
“The United States has granted Hungary a full and unlimited exemption from sanctions on oil and gas. We are grateful for this decision, which guarantees Hungary’s energy security,” Szijjarto said on social media.
US slaps sanctions on Russian oil firms
Trump had earlier said he would consider giving landlocked Hungary a pass because it has to rely on pipelines, leaving it heavily dependent on Russia despite EU efforts to wean it off.