The Trump administration has reportedly committed to restoring relations with Hungary and lifting restrictions imposed under the Biden administration.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Sunday that the US will review sanctions imposed on Hungary during the Biden presidency. Following a phone call with newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Szijjarto stated that Washington is dedicated to rebuilding ties with Budapest.
“My new foreign minister colleague assured us that we will rebuild the Hungarian-American political system, and he also means that the previous retaliatory measures will be reviewed by the new US administration,” Szijjarto posted on Facebook.
“We mutually expressed our satisfaction that the new US president and his administration, as well as the Hungarian government, share the same position on very important issues,” he added.
The Biden administration implemented several restrictions on Hungary, including terminating a bilateral tax treaty and tightening entry requirements for Hungarians. Budapest viewed these actions as pressure to weaken its ties with Russia and China. Most recently, in December, the US sanctioned Antal Rogan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, citing alleged corruption. Orban dismissed the sanctions as “petty revenge.”
Szijjarto described his conversation with Rubio as “extremely positive,” adding that “my expectation is that the coming years will bring a new golden age in Hungarian-American political relations.”
This statement comes amidst a broader shift in Hungary’s foreign policy under Orban, who has advocated for a reevaluation of EU sanctions against Russia. Speaking on Kossuth Radio last week, Orban stated he wouldn’t commit to extending sanctions against Moscow before discussing the matter with US President Donald Trump. Orban has urged a reversal of EU and US policies, calling for leaders to “throw sanctions out the window” and establish “sanction-free relationships with Russia.”
Orban has also linked Hungary’s position on EU sanctions to the resumption of Russian gas transit to the EU via Ukraine. Deliveries stopped on January 1 after Kiev declined to renew a deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom. Hungarian diplomats have raised this issue in EU discussions, highlighting the need to address energy security alongside sanctions policy.
The EU has imposed 15 rounds of sanctions on Russia since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, aiming to limit Moscow’s ability to fund its military operation. These measures, however, require unanimous approval for every six-month extension, with the current deadline being January 31. Hungary has requested a discussion on sanctions during Monday’s meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers.
Fellow EU member Poland has cautioned Hungary about potential consequences for opposing sanctions, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk accusing Orban of aligning with Moscow. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also defended the sanctions as the bloc’s “leverage” against Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western sanctions, labeling them illegitimate and counterproductive, and warning of inevitable negative repercussions for those imposing them.