Donald Trump admitted this Friday that the United States is considering a possible exemption for Hungary from the US sanctions applied to the Russian oil sector, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wishes.
At a press conference at the White House, before a meeting with Orbán, Trump was asked whether he would be willing to grant this exemption. “We are looking into this, because it is very difficult for him to obtain oil and gas from other regions. As you know, they do not have the advantage of having access to the sea”, said Trump.
Orbán, for his part, stressed that he intends to directly negotiate this issue, which he considers central in conversations with Trump. “Gas pipelines are not an ideological or political issue. They are a physical reality, because we do not have a port, exactly as the president explained. Therefore, we will negotiate this point. It is vital for us”, he stressed.
The final decision should be taken at the meeting between the two leaders, in which issues such as trade, Russia, the war in Ukraine – energy and fuel prices will also be on the table.
Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Trump and Orbán expressed agreement: it would be “a miracle” if Kiev managed to win the war against Moscow.
“A great leader”, praises Trump
During the conference, the US President repeatedly praised the Hungarian leader, describing him as “a great leader, respected by everyone”, who “unlike other European countries, made no mistakes on immigration”. “He governs a really exemplary country, without crime, without the problems that some countries have. He will probably have one or another problem that I don’t know about, and maybe I don’t even want to know about,” Trump added.
Viktor Orbán said he was in the White House to “open a new chapter in bilateral relations between the United States and Hungary”, after an experience that, he said, was negative while the Democrats were in power. “Basically, during the Democratic administration, everything was ruined. After your departure, Mr. President, everything was blocked, ruined, canceled,” he said.