The Trump administration has reportedly pledged to rebuild ties with Budapest and scrap restrictions imposed during Joe Biden’s presidency
The US has pledged to reassess sanctions on Hungary that were imposed under former President Joe Biden, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Sunday. Following a phone conversation with newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Szijjarto said Washington is committed 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 measures taken out of revenge will be reviewed by the new US administration,” Szijjarto wrote on Facebook.
“We mutually expressed our joy 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 imposed various restrictions on Hungary, including terminating a bilateral tax agreement and tightening entry rules for Hungarians. Budapest interpreted these actions as attempts to pressure the country to weaken its ties with Russia and China. Most recently, in December, the US sanctioned Antal Rogan, the chief of staff for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, citing alleged corruption. Orban dismissed the sanctions as “petty revenge.”
Szijjarto described his conversation with Rubio as “extremely good,” adding that “my expectation is that the coming years will bring a new golden age in Hungarian-American political relations.”
The statement comes amid a broader shift in Hungary’s foreign policy under Orban, who has called for a reassessment of EU sanctions against Russia. Speaking on Kossuth Radio last week, Orban said he would not commit to extending sanctions against Moscow until discussing the issue with US President Donald Trump. Orban has called for EU and US policies to be reversed, urging leaders to “throw sanctions out the window” and establish “sanction-free relationships with Russia.”
Orban has also linked Hungary’s stance on EU sanctions to the resumption of Russian gas transit to the bloc via Ukraine. Deliveries were halted on January 1 after Kiev opted not to renew a deal with Russian gas major Gazprom. Hungarian diplomats have raised the issue during EU talks, emphasizing 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 restrict Moscow’s ability to finance its military operation. These measures, however, require unanimous approval to be extended every six months, with the current deadline set for January 31. Hungary has called for a debate on sanctions during Monday’s meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers.
READ MORE: Orban will face ‘consequences’ for blocking sanctions – Polish PM
Fellow EU member Poland has warned Hungary of 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 denounced Western sanctions, calling them illegitimate and counterproductive, and warning that they would inevitably backfire on those who impose them.
