Hungary's Orbán rejects Trump's demand to quit Russian oil and gas
Photo: Viktor Orbán (Getty Images)
Hungary has no intention of giving up cheap Russian energy resources. Budapest is not ready to comply with the US demand, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says.
According to Orbán, he discussed this issue with President Donald Trump during a telephone conversation on September 26.
The call took place after Trump, at a briefing with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, suggested that Hungary should refuse to purchase Russian oil.
Hungarian Prime Minister's arguments
Orbán noted that Hungary would be guided by its own interests in energy matters. According to him, the government is not obliged to follow the recommendations of the US.
"We need not accept each other’s arguments. We just need to talk clearly about our interests and listen to each other as friends, then everyone does as they wish," Orbán says.
He added that abandoning pipeline oil and gas supplies would allegedly lead to an immediate 4% decline in Hungary's economy.
Balance between US and Russia
Hungary, as a member of the EU and NATO, continues to maneuver between Orbán's ties with Donald Trump and his contacts with Russia. Since 2022, after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Hungarian Prime Minister has maintained dialogue with Moscow.
Orbán's latest statements have become one of the clearest confirmations that Hungary will maintain economic ties with Russia even at the expense of relations with the US.
Earlier, Donald Trump also called on Türkiye to reduce energy imports from Russia. He made this statement at a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
