In October 2025 the United States imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. Hungary, which buys most of its crude oil from Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, warned this would hurt its energy supply.
The November 2025 exemption
On November 7, 2025, then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met President Donald Trump at the White House. The United States granted Hungary a one-year exemption from the sanctions for Russian oil and gas delivered through the TurkStream and Druzhba pipelines. A White House official described it as time-limited, to give Hungary time to develop alternatives. As part of the arrangement, Hungary committed to buying about $600 million of US liquefied natural gas and nuclear fuel from US-based Westinghouse.
The Atlantic Council estimated that Hungary sources about 86 percent of its crude oil from Russia, up from 61 percent before the invasion of Ukraine.
Extension sought
According to Hungarian officials, the exemption expires on November 21, 2026. Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said in September 2026 that the government is working on an extension, because the energy company MOL needs more time to adapt its refineries to other sources. Prime Minister Péter Magyar has also said Hungary wants it extended. As of mid-October 2026 there has been no public US decision.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: Trump exempts Hungary from Russian oil and gas sanctions (Nov 7, 2025)
- Bloomberg: Trump grants Hungary exemption on Russian oil in Orbán win
- RTÉ: US gives Hungary exemption from Russian oil sanctions
- Global Banking & Finance: Hungary seeks extension of US sanctions waiver on Russian energy
- Izvestia: Magyar announced Hungary’s desire to extend the sanctions exemption (Oct 17, 2026)