"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is scheduled to meet United States President Donald Trump at the White House, where he is expected to seek a waiver on US sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil. In a state radio interview released on Friday, the right-wing nationalist and longtime Trump ally said it was necessary to achieve results given Russia's central role in providing Hungary with oil and gas."
"Hungary depends very much on Russian oil and gas, Orban said during a recent interview with the Italian publication La Repubblica. Without them, energy prices will skyrocket, causing shortages in our reserves. The meeting will test whether Orban's close relationship with Trump will be enough to secure exemptions to expanding US sanctions targeting the Russian energy sector, a form of pressure meant to push Moscow towards negotiating an end to its war in Ukraine."
"President Trump and Prime Minister Orban have a long, positive relationship they are very friendly with each other, James Bachik, an analyst at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, told Al Jazeera. We'll see what sort of exemptions he might get. Donald Trump does have that personal relationship. He's even empathised in the past with Hungary's position on their dependence on Russian energy, he added. But the question is, will Hungary bring enough to the table to get that exemption?"
Viktor Orban will meet Donald Trump at the White House to seek a US waiver allowing Hungary to buy Russian oil despite expanding sanctions. Orban emphasized that Russia supplies the bulk of Hungary's oil and gas and warned that losing access would drive energy prices up and deplete reserves. The waiver request will test whether Orban's close ties with Trump can secure exemptions from US measures aimed at pressuring Russia over the war in Ukraine. Other countries have scrambled to adapt to the change in US policy, and Orban's sympathy toward Vladimir Putin has often impeded EU pressure on Russia.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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