WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump did not specify whether Washington will make an exception for Budapest from its anti-Russian sanction...
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump did not specify whether Washington will make an exception for Budapest from its anti-Russian sanctions.
"He has asked for an exemption. We haven't granted one, but he has," the US president said, referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, while talking to journalists en route from Washington to Palm Beach, Florida.
"Viktor [Orban], he is a friend of mine. He has asked for an exemption," Trump added, once again dodging the question of whether Washington was ready to grant Budapest’s request.
Orban said earlier he intended to convince Trump of the need for a number of exemptions from US sanctions imposed on Russia in the energy sector during his meeting in Washington on November 7. Orban said he would try to explain to the American leader that Hungary requires these exemptions to maintain its energy security. Prior to that, Orban acknowledged that new US sanctions against Russian oil and gas companies could harm Hungary’s interests, which continues to receive the bulk of its energy supplies from Russia under long-term contracts.
On October 22, the US Department of the Treasury included Russian oil companies Rosneft, Lukoil, and their 34 subsidiaries in a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, which will take full effect on November 21. The United States believes the restrictions are intended to pressure Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the new US sanctions will not significantly impact the country's "economic stability." He also noted that the US administration is harming bilateral relations with such actions.
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