Trump Exempts Hungary From Russian Energy Sanctions; Orbán, Media Claim Different Details

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed the US granted Hungary an indefinite exemption from American sanctions on countries that buy Russian energy. But several major outlets reported speaking to an anonymous White House official who said the exemption is for one year only.

The Details: CNN (Lean Left bias), BBC News (Center), and Reuters (Center) all reported speaking to an unnamed White House official. None of the outlets offered direct quotes. The split claims followed a meeting on Friday at the White House between President Trump, Orbán, and top officials from their respective governments. At the meeting, Hungary also agreed to purchase some American gas and nuclear energy. 

Key Quotes: Friday evening, Orbán wrote on X, “President [Donald Trump] has guaranteed full sanction exemptions for the TurkStream and Friendship pipelines, allowing Hungary to continue providing families with the lowest energy prices in Europe.” He also said in Washington late on Friday, “This exemption is general and has no time limit.” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó backed up Orbán’s claim and said, “The prime minister was clear… There are no sanctions on oil and gas shipments to Hungary for an indefinite period.”

For Context: Several EU nations still purchase Russian energy, though only Hungary and Slovakia purchase Russian oil. According to the International Monetary Fund, Hungary bought 80% of its oil and gas from Russia in 2024, and cutting these purchases could cost it more than 4% of its GDP. On October 20, EU energy ministers voted to ban Russian energy imports for non-landlocked EU countries beginning January 1, 2028. Also on October 20, explosions occurred within hours of each other at major Russian-linked oil refineries in Romania and Hungary. On October 22, Trump announced sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft. Less than a week later, Lukoil announced it sought to sell some of its foreign assets. Orbán, currently serving his fourth consecutive and fifth total term as PM, is seeking reelection in April.

How The Media Covered It: Western outlets echoed the reporting from CNN, BBC, and Reuters. Government-friendly Hungarian media outlets such as Hungarian Conservative (Lean Right) and Hungary Today echoed Orbán’s claims that the exemption is indefinite. Opposition-friendly Hungarian outlet Telex highlighted that “no timeframe was mentioned” between the two leaders and said when it asked a White House official, it received the same information as CNN, BBC, and Reuters.

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