Hungary wants an exception for Russian oil from the US. Orbán is trying to convince Trump about his energy strategy, putting nuclear energy cooperation on the table.
Energy will probably be the hottest topic of the upcoming Friday meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and US President Donald Trump in Washington, the index.hu server stated on Monday. The correspondent of TASR in Budapest informs about it.
Unnamed Hungarian government sources told the server that the Hungarian offer had already been outlined. Orbán indicated last week that he would try to persuade Trump to grant Hungary concessions over US sanctions on Russian oil.
“Viktor Orbán asked for an exception, but we didn’t give it to him,” Trump said in this regard.
They will apply for an exemption
According to Hungarian government sources, Washington is looking for export markets for its energy sector. Budapest will probably ask the United States to accept that, from historical, geographical and technical points of view, Hungary cannot disconnect itself from Russian oil and natural gas in the short term. In exchange, Hungary will offer readiness to deepen cooperation in the areas of small modular reactors (SMRs) and storage of nuclear fuel and fuel cells.
“Everything indicates that the world’s first commercially operated SMR device will be launched with American technology, which could give the United States new room to maneuver in Europe as well,” a government source told the server.
In the background, an agreement is being prepared not only in the energy field, but also in the geopolitical field. The Hungarian government is trying to balance between maintaining Russian resources and strengthening the American partnership, according to an extensive analysis by the index.hu server.
