Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is preparing for a high-stakes diplomatic mission to Washington next week, where he will urge U.S. President Donald Trump to exempt Hungary from the latest round of American sanctions targeting Russian oil. The request, announced on October 31, 2025, comes at a time when Hungary’s continued reliance on Russian crude has become a flashpoint in European and transatlantic relations, and as the Trump administration’s sanctions threaten to upend Hungary’s energy security and economic stability.
The Trump administration unveiled new sanctions last week against Russia’s major state-affiliated oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. These measures, designed to increase pressure on Moscow amid its ongoing war in Ukraine, could expose foreign buyers—including those in India, China, and Central Europe—to secondary sanctions. For Hungary, a landlocked country that imports more than four-fifths of its crude oil from Russia, the implications are profound.
Orbán, who has been a close ally of Trump and is widely regarded as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strongest partner within the European Union, has made it clear that he views continued access to Russian oil as non-negotiable. “We must use the pipelines or we won’t have any energy,” Orbán told Hungary’s state broadcaster on Friday, underscoring his government’s position. He plans to raise the issue directly with Trump during their bilateral meeting in Washington on November 7, 2025—the first since Trump’s return to the White House and Orbán’s own reelection in January.
“We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia,” Orbán said in comments to state radio, according to the Associated Press. He continued, “We are dependent on those transport routes through which energy can reach Hungary. These are mostly pipelines.”
Hungary’s energy predicament is not just a matter of geography. The country relies heavily on the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies around 80% of its crude oil needs. While most European Union member states have sharply reduced or halted Russian fossil fuel imports since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained and even increased their pipeline deliveries. According to the Atlantic Council, Hungary now sources 86% of its crude oil from Russia, up from 61% before the invasion, even as the EU moves toward a Russian energy ban by 2028.
This dependence has not only sustained Hungary’s energy sector but also generated significant revenue for the Kremlin. A study by CREA and the Centre for the Study of Democracy found that Russian oil imports by Hungary and Slovakia have contributed €5.4 billion in tax revenue to Moscow since the war began.
Orbán’s argument is straightforward: as a landlocked nation, Hungary lacks viable alternatives to Russian crude. He often cites the example of Germany, which, despite having sea access, secured a waiver for the Rosneft-controlled Schwedt refinery. “I have to convince the Americans that Hungary is a landlocked country, so we have no practical alternative to the Druzhba pipeline,” he said on state radio, as reported by Ceenergynews.
However, this claim is not without controversy. Critics, both at home and abroad, dispute Orbán’s assertion that replacing Russian supplies would trigger economic collapse. The debate has spilled over into a dispute between Hungary’s largest energy company, MOL, and Croatian pipeline operator Janaf over the capacity and reliability of the Adria oil pipeline, which, in theory, could offer an alternative route. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković recently stated that the pipeline could supply up to 15 million tons of crude oil annually to refineries in Százhalombatta and Bratislava—well above Hungary’s needs. “The capacities of the Croatian oil pipeline are such that without any problems, confirmed and verified, it can annually supply 15 million tons of crude oil to both the refinery in Százhalombatta, whose maximum capacity is 8.1 million tons, and the refinery in Bratislava, whose maximum capacity is 6.1 or 6.2 million tons,” Plenković said on October 30.
MOL, however, maintains that the Adria pipeline is not a reliable substitute for Russian supply routes, citing capacity and profit issues. Hungarian Energy Minister Csaba Lantos echoed this sentiment, telling Ceenergynews, “Under the conditions known today, there is no alternative that can compete with Russian sources in terms of capacity and cost.” He also noted that Hungary has never opposed increasing the Adria pipeline’s capacity and is open to paying transit fees in line with the EU average.
In anticipation of potential supply disruptions, the Hungarian government published draft amendments to its law on stockpiling crude oil and petroleum products on October 30. The amendments would enable authorities to establish standby fuel stations for critical services during crises, though private consumers would not be affected. The move underscores the government’s concerns about the risk of domestic fuel shortages, especially after a recent refinery fire crippled production at the Danube facility run by MOL Group.
Orbán’s Washington visit is not solely about energy. He will be accompanied by a large delegation of ministers, economic officials, and security advisers for what he describes as “a complete review” of U.S.-Hungarian relations. Budapest hopes to finalize an economic cooperation package with the U.S., including new American investments in Hungary. However, Orbán has stressed that any deal depends on securing Hungary’s continued access to Russian energy.
The stakes are high not just for Hungary, but for the broader Western alliance. Granting Hungary an exemption could test Washington’s resolve to enforce sanctions on Russia and potentially embolden other European states to seek similar carve-outs. As Reuters notes, the issue is exposing deepening divides within the EU and NATO over how best to balance energy security with the need to sustain pressure on Moscow. Analysts warn that flexibility for Budapest could undermine the unity of Western sanctions and complicate efforts to isolate Russia’s oil sector.
Meanwhile, both the U.S. administration and Moscow have expressed, at least rhetorically, a desire to see an end to the war in Ukraine. Orbán, however, has placed the blame for continued conflict squarely on Ukraine and the EU, describing them as the primary impediments to peace. A planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest was recently scrapped after Russian officials made clear they opposed an immediate ceasefire.
As the November 7 meeting approaches, Washington has not publicly commented on whether it will grant Hungary any flexibility regarding the sanctions. The outcome could have far-reaching implications not only for Hungary’s energy future but also for the West’s approach to Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In the coming days, all eyes will be on Washington as Orbán makes his case—one that could shape the trajectory of European energy security and transatlantic relations for years to come.
