The upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House is in the focus of the world press today, BTA writes.
During a meeting at the White House, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban will seek Trump's blessing to continue buying Russian oil, the American newspaper "Washington Post" writes in the headline.
When Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visits US President Donald Trump at the White House today, his priority will be to convince the US government to turn a blind eye to Hungary's stubborn determination to buy Russian oil, which could prove to be a test of the degree of closeness between the two friendly leaders.
Orban, who was a fierce opponent of Russian domination in Hungary during the Cold War, has made a dramatic U-turn in the past decade towards Moscow, which has puzzled his opponents and many of his former allies.
Regarded as Russian President Vladimir Putin's most reliable defender in the European Union, Orban has maintained warm relations with Russia despite its war in Ukraine. He has also won the favor of Trump and his MAGA movement, which sees Hungary as a shining example of conservative nationalism despite the erosion of its democratic institutions, the American publication points out.
Now, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches its fourth anniversary, Orban is under intense pressure from both Brussels and Washington to end Hungary's dependence on Russian oil - a resource seen as key to financing Moscow's war.
Last month, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Russian state-backed energy giants "Lukoil" and Rosneft, which could expose their foreign buyers like India, China and Hungary to secondary sanctions.
However, the Hungarian leader hopes his personal ties with Trump will give him an advantage in today’s meeting, the first between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January. In comments on state radio last week, Orbán made it clear that he would try to “make the Americans understand” that Hungary needs an exemption from the sanctions to continue buying Russian energy, the Washington Post notes.
At the heart of Orbán’s calls for an exemption is his claim that Hungary, a landlocked country in the heart of Central Europe, has no viable alternatives to Russian crude and that replacing those supplies would lead to economic collapse. His critics dispute that claim.
However, Trump has signaled that Orban's arguments may have resonated. In October, he called Orban a "very great leader" and said Hungary was "in trouble" over its purchase of Russian oil. Trump said Hungary had "one pipeline" - the Druzhba pipeline - that carries Russian crude through Ukraine to Central Europe.
However, another pipeline, the Adriatic, which runs from Croatia's Adriatic coast, also carries non-Russian crude to Hungary's main refinery - a route that critics of Orban and the Croatian oil transport company say could meet Hungary's energy needs, the American publication commented.
Daniel Fried, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and former U.S. ambassador to Poland, dismissed Orban's complaints that Hungary has no other energy supply options.
"Don't insult everyone's intelligence," Fried said, noting that Poland, also located in Central Europe, has spent years preparing for alternatives. "Hungary hasn't done anything. They've just complained and grumbled," Fried added.
While most EU member states sharply reduced or stopped imports of Russian fossil fuels after Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Hungary and neighboring Slovakia have maintained pipeline supplies. Hungary has even increased the share of Russian oil in its energy mix from 61 percent before the war to about 86 percent, according to a report by independent researchers.
Peter Ruff, senior fellow and director of the Center for Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute in Washington, said that while Hungary had a competitive advantage over other European countries by purchasing Russian oil, "it is clear that President Trump's decision to impose sanctions on Russian oil has caught Hungary's attention."
"Budapest has refused to diversify its energy mix for years, despite repeated calls," Ruff said, adding: "Now is the time for Budapest to start ringing alarm bells."
In October, Trump announced that he would meet with Putin again to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, and that the Hungarian capital would be the venue. The decision was seen as a victory for Orban and as an attempt by Trump to give a political boost to his ally, who faces the toughest election of his 15 years in power in April, the Washington Post reported.
Orban praised the decision to hold the meeting in Budapest and said the choice could be seen as a "political achievement.".
However, the meeting was soon canceled, with Trump saying he did not want a "pointless meeting" with Putin, who has shown no signs of backing down from his maximalist demands regarding the war.
However, officials in Budapest still hope that a meeting between Trump and Putin can take place. On Wednesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told a press conference that the agenda for today's meeting "will be the possibility of concluding peace in Ukraine."
"If the preparatory work between the United States and Russia is successful, Hungary is ready to host a peace summit," he said.
Hungary, a NATO member, has refused to supply weapons to neighboring Ukraine or allow them to be transferred across its borders. Orbán has threatened to veto some EU sanctions against Moscow and has delayed the bloc's adoption of large financing packages for Kiev, the American publication said.
Orbán has repeatedly taken a hostile position towards Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelensky and has consistently portrayed his European partners, who support Kiev in its defense, as warmongers. But many of Orban's critics in the EU believe that Hungary's stance favors the aggressor in the war and divides European unity in the face of Russian threats.
With few friends in Europe, the Hungarian leader relies on Trump's goodwill. Fried, a fellow at the Atlantic Council, said that after Orban's significant investment in Trump's MAGA ecosystem, during today's meeting "he will find out how much it is valued."
Orban will seek Trump's approval to continue importing Russian oil, the British newspaper "Financial Times" headlined.
Last month, the Trump administration stepped up pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine by adding Russian oil giants "Lukoil" and "Rosneft", which have a significant presence in Hungary, to its sanctions list. Budapest has resisted European pressure to cut energy ties with Russia after a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Orban, who is close to both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, has warned that his country would suffer a major economic shock if it were deprived of Russian oil. The prime minister faces elections in April, and his party is trailing a fledgling rival who poses the first serious challenge to Orban’s 15-year rule.
EU officials believe the Hungarian leader sees the Russian oil issue as a significant threat to his re-election. "They're obsessed with it," a senior EU official said.
When asked last week whether Hungary should be exempted from the sanctions, Trump said: "He asked for an exemption, he's my friend, Viktor, [but] we didn't give it to him."
Last month, the US president expressed sympathy for the Hungarian leader's claim that the landlocked country had no alternative to Russian oil.
"I spoke to the great leader of Hungary, and it's very difficult for them to get oil," Trump said at the time.
When asked if he would apply the same pressure as he did on India, which ditched Russian oil after the US imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports, Trump explained that "Hungary is in a difficult position because they have a pipeline that has been there for years. And they are inland and landlocked.
US sanctions against "Lukoil" and "Rosneft" are due to take effect on 21 November and threaten to cut off oil imports into the country via the Soviet-era "Družba" pipeline.
Orbán said in a social media post earlier this week that he wanted to "turn a new page in Hungarian-American relations, which includes energy cooperation."
The Hungarian prime minister will be accompanied by Zsolt Hernády, CEO of Hungarian oil group MOL, which operates refineries in the region and is one of the few remaining importers of Russian oil.
"Security of energy supply is a particular challenge for Europe and this will be one of the key aspects of the meeting" with Trump, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, adding: "We will create a large package of energy cooperation agreements that will help ensure Hungary's long-term energy security".
Despite claims that Hungary has no other alternatives to "Družba", there is also a Croatian oil pipeline that could supply Hungary and neighboring countries with crude oil delivered by sea.
However, the company MOL has so far resisted the change, citing higher costs and technical problems with the Croatian oil pipeline.
JANAF, the operator of the oil pipeline, which is majority-owned by the Croatian government, dismissed these concerns.
Orbán to visit the White House to try to broker a meeting between Trump and Putin on peace in Ukraine, another British publication, the newspaper, wrote in a headline. "Guardian".
Orban, who suggested the meeting be held in Budapest, will also seek an exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy resources, a serious test of Trump's harder line towards the Kremlin after he accused Putin of delaying talks to end the conflict.
However, according to people familiar with the matter, Orban's priority is to get Trump to visit Hungary as he faces an unprecedented domestic challenge from a new opposition leader ahead of parliamentary elections in April. Trump's visit would boost Orban's image as a statesman and boost his conservative electoral base, his advisers believe.
In Washington, Viktor Orban will ask Donald Trump to allow him to benefit from an exemption from sanctions against Russian oil, the French newspaper "Figaro" headlines.
For Viktor Orban, refusing the Russian gas and oil that Hungary continues to import would mean admitting his mistake. That is why he is leaving for Washington today to try to get Donald Trump to waive the sanctions imposed by the US on October 22 against Russian oil giants "Lukoil" and "Rosneft". "We are actively working to find a way to circumvent or neutralize these sanctions," he said two days later on public radio, without mentioning that these sanctions do not come from the "hated" and "war-loving" European Union, but by its ally in Washington.
Therefore, Orban will try to convince Trump that Hungary cannot give up Russian oil, at least in the medium term, "Figaro" points out.