Hungary seeks US waiver from new Russian energy sanctions amid diversification push
Hungary is lobbying Washington for a temporary exemption from U.S. sanctions that could impose up to 100% tariffs on countries still buying Russian oil and gas.
Márton Hajdu, chair of the Hungarian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has asked U.S. legislators for a temporary exemption from the latest Russian energy sanctions, which allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs as high as 100% on nations that keep buying Russian crude or gas. The request comes as Hungary continues to import Russian oil while pledging to diversify its energy mix through new gas connections with Romania and potential use of the Adriatic pipeline via Croatia.
The sanctions were enacted under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, recently signed by Trump after passing both chambers of Congress. Hungarian officials, including Economy and Energy Minister István Kapitány, say the country can meet its gas needs without Russian supplies by October 2027, but needs time to transition. The lobbying effort does not yet constitute a formal bilateral exemption, and the final decision will depend on how Washington applies the new law. The outcome could test the newly-formed relations between Budapest and Washington after Hungary’s recent government change.
Why it matters
The decision will affect Hungary's energy costs and the broader enforcement of U.S. pressure on Russia.
How this story developed
- Aug 30 India supplies nearly a million barrels of gasoline to Russia as Moscow faces refinery attacks
- Sep 11 Sea drones detonated on the Sochi promenade, injuring civilians and prompting evacuations.
- Sep 11 Russia has begun importing Jet A‑1 from South Korea and Egypt.
- Sep 11 Ukrainian drone strikes killed civilians in the Tula and Kursk regions.
- Sep 12 President Volodymyr Zelensky called the EU's move to consider easing sanctions on Russian billionaires immoral and self-destructive as the bloc struggles to renew the measures before the September 15 deadline.
- Sep 13 Russian jet‑powered drones attacked a Kyiv petrol station, killing two and injuring twelve.
- Sep 15 EU Coreper authorized a week‑long postponement of the sanctions expiry.
- Sep 16 The House passed a fresh sanctions package targeting Russia with a 262-159 vote, now awaiting President Trump's signature.
- Sep 17 The Senate approved the bill with an 86‑11 vote last month.
- Sep 19 President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law.
- Sep 19 President Donald Trump signed a bill that gives the United States new authority to impose broad sanctions on Russia, targeting its energy sector and senior officials.
- Sep 19 President Trump signed the expanded sanctions law.
- Sep 20 President Donald Trump asked President Volodimir Zelenski to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries, warning they raise diesel prices, as the two leaders prepare to meet in New York during the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 21 Zelensky announced plans for a high‑profile meeting with President Trump in New York.
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