Rubio says Hungary's exemption from oil sanctions due to personal relationship of Orbán and Trump

This week is off to a good start! – Viktor Orbán stated at a press conference he held with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Budapest. The event began with Rubio and Péter Szijjártó, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade signing an agreement on nuclear energy. Orbán described his meeting with the US Secretary of State as "cordial, friendly, and serious."

After the signing ceremony, Marco Rubio emphasized the good personal relationship between Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán. He said that American companies want to invest in Hungary because it has strong leadership that protects investments. He said that Washington and Budapest are able to cooperate in many areas because of the good relationship between Trump and Orbán, and stressed the importance of personal relationships between leaders. Trump is committed to Orbán's success and is ready to help, he said, adding that the country was also granted exemption from the sanctions because of their personal relationship.

When asked whether the United States would be willing to work constructively with Orbán's challenger if Viktor Orbán were to lose the April election, he did not respond, but indicated that the personal relationship between Orbán and Trump has a significant impact on the relationship between the two countries. He said he was not going to speculate on what the future would bring, noting that it was up to the voters to decide, but added: “I will be frank: the Prime Minister and the President have a very, very close personal and working relationship, and that has had an incredibly beneficial effect on the relationship between our countries.”

To a question on how long Hungary's exemption from sanctions against Russia would last, he reiterated that Hungary had received it thanks to the relationship between Trump and Orbán, that this was the basis for Trump's decision on the matter, and that it would continue to remain so as long as that relationship remained a factor in bilateral relations between the two countries.

The US Secretary of State was also asked if Trump was planning on visiting Budapest. He indicated that for the time being, the US President had no plans to visit Budapest but said that "I know the President would like to come here," and added: "We'll see what will happen."

Orbán received a question on whether he would accept the election results. Answering in English, he replied that there was no need to worry, because the Hungarian democracy is strong and there have been several changes of government in the past. Orbán stated that the government would be formed in accordance with the will of the voters and that "Hungary would definitely remain a strong country."

The US Secretary of State began his European tour on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, then visited Bratislava before arriving in Budapest. According to the schedule, he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó on Sunday, which was followed by talks with the Prime Minister.

Orbán had previously visited the White House with a large delegation on November 7. At the time, he and Trump agreed that Hungary would receive an exemption from US sanctions on imports of Russian natural gas and crude oil. Orbán claimed that the exemption would be for an unlimited period, but in the days following the visit, Rubio clearly stated that the exemption was for one year only, arguing that Hungary's economy would suffer greatly if it suddenly had to stop using Russian energy sources.

The situation is equally controversial with regard to the other agreement Orbán and his team announced after the visit, which concerns a $20 billion “financial shield.” The Hungarian Prime Minister spoke about the conclusion of this agreement on his way home from Washington, stating that this shield could be useful against “the tools Brussels would use against Hungary.” However, the details of this agreement remain unknown, and it is not even clear whether such an agreement – which experts believe would most likely take the form of a swap line, i.e., a currency exchange facility – actually exists. A month after their meeting, Trump clearly stated that no such agreement existed. "No, I didn't promise him, but he certainly asked for it," he told Politico. He then praised Orbán for his migration policy, and at the beginning of this month assured him that he was confident of his election victory on April 12.