Hungary urges US to exempt Russia's Gazprombank from sanctions to pay for gas
Photo: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (Getty Images)
Hungary has appealed to the US to exempt Russian Gazprombank from sanctions on payments for natural gas, as these sanctions could negatively affect some US allies, reports Reuters.
“Yesterday we filed our request with the relevant American authorities that calls for Gazprombank being granted an exception from sanctions when it comes to payments for natural gas,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at a briefing.
Speaking in Brussels after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Szijjártó quoted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying that he was ready to consult with allies for whom the sanctions caused problems.”
Szijjártó said that any exemption would be similar to those granted to other Russian banks that process payments for Russian uranium purchased by the United States.
The minister will travel to Washington but did not specify what his talks would focus on.
Hungary receives about two-thirds of its gas imports from Russia. The country and some of its neighbors are under increasing pressure to diversify its energy supplies faster after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Hungary receives 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia under a 15-year deal signed in 2021.
On November 21, the United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank. President Joe Biden is stepping up measures to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before he leaves office in January.
The sanctions prevent the state-controlled lender from conducting any new energy-related transactions involving the US financial system.
