The United States has allowed Hungary a one-year exemption from American sanctions on Russian oil and gas, a White House official confirmed on Friday, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban personally appealed for it during his meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.

Last month, Trump imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft, which also warned that any country buying oil from those firms could face penalties.

Orban, a long-time Trump ally, met the U.S. President for the first time since Trump’s return to power. During the meeting, Orban explained that Hungary had no alternative but to keep using Russian energy despite Washington’s push for Europe to stop such imports.

He said the issue was crucial for his country and that he wanted to show “the consequences for the Hungarian people, and for the Hungarian economy, not to get oil and gas from Russia.”

Trump, while continuing to pressure Moscow over its war with Ukraine, appeared to understand Orban’s concerns.

“We’re looking at it, because it’s very different for him to get the oil and gas from other areas,” Trump said. “As you know, they don’t have ... the advantage of having sea. It’s a great country, it’s a big country, but they don’t have sea. They don’t have the ports.”

He added, “But many European countries are buying oil and gas from Russia, and they have been for years. And I said, ‘What’s that all about?’”

The White House official also said that Hungary had agreed to buy U.S. liquefied natural gas worth around $ 600 million as part of the understanding.

Hungary has continued to rely heavily on Russian energy since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, drawing strong criticism from several EU and NATO partners.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Hungary received 74 per cent of its gas and 86 per cent of its oil from Russia in 2024. The IMF warned that if the EU cut off Russian gas completely, Hungary’s economy could lose over 4 per cent of its GDP.

The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Trump had earlier planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, but the meeting was postponed after Moscow rejected a ceasefire.

Trump said on Friday that Russia was not ready to stop the fighting. “The basic dispute is they just don’t want to stop yet. And I think they will,” he said.

When Trump asked Orban if Ukraine could win the war, the Hungarian leader replied, “A miracle can happen.”

The discussion also focused on strengthening economic ties between the two nations. Orban predicted a “golden age” in U.S.-Hungary relations and criticised President Joe Biden’s administration, a move that aligned him more closely with Trump.

Orban, who faces an election in 2026, has built a personal bond with Trump over shared positions on immigration. Trump publicly backed Orban for his re-election bid, saying, “He has not made a mistake on immigration. So, he’s respected by everybody, he’s liked by some ... I like and respect him, I’m a double. And that’s the way Hungary is being led. They’re being led properly, and that’s why he’s going to be very successful in his upcoming election.”

Last year, the European Union’s top court fined Hungary 200 million euros for failing to change its migrant and asylum policies and ordered it to pay an additional one million euros each day until it complied.

During his conversation with Trump, Orban mentioned the fine but said Hungary would resolve its EU disputes internally.

The Trump administration has restored Hungary’s full status in the U.S. visa waiver program, marking a sign of improving relations between the two countries.

Hungary has also resisted the European Commission’s plan to end all EU imports of Russian gas and LNG by 2027, deepening tensions with Brussels.

Credit ratings agency S&P said Hungary’s economy remains one of the most energy-intensive in Europe, and its refineries are built to process Russian Urals crude. It added that while gas supplies from Azerbaijan and Qatar could reduce dependence on Moscow, Hungary’s economy still faces risks from any major energy disruption.