Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would press US President Donald Trump for an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil, as Hungary is heavily dependent on pipeline supplies, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
In an interview with Hungarian state radio, Orban said energy would be a key topic of his meeting with Trump, scheduled for November 7. According to him, he would discuss sanctions imposed on Russian companies "Rosneft" and "Lukoil", as well as the possibility of reaching a broader economic agreement between Budapest and Washington. The planned meeting between the US and Hungarian leaders will be the first since the start of the US president's second term this year, Reuters notes. After Trump returned to the White House, Orbán predicted a "golden era" in relations between Budapest and Washington. Late last week, Orbán said that Hungary was working to find a way to circumvent US sanctions against Russian oil companies, without giving details or indicating that it planned to violate the restrictions.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian government is preparing a bill that sets out measures in the event of an emergency with fuel supplies. It envisages the creation of so-called emergency gas stations, which would be regulated by the state in the event of serious supply disruptions. The draft was published on the Energy Ministry's website and was cited by Bloomberg.
The measures come days after a major fire at the country's only refinery, run by energy group MOL, and after the United States decided to impose sanctions on Russian energy companies.
Despite the incident, the government has insisted that fuel supplies to the country are guaranteed. MOL has not yet said how much production at the plant near the Danube has been affected by the explosion and fire more than a week ago.
Erste Bank estimated the damage could affect up to 40 percent of the refinery's production capacity. On Thursday, Orban said authorities were still investigating the cause of the incident.