The announcement that Hungary will be allowed to continue importing Russian oil came in connection with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visiting US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday.
"We asked the president to lift the sanctions," said Orbán, who called access to Russian energy "vital" for Hungary.
Trump has previously urged countries to stop importing Russian oil and gas – or face US sanctions. However, after the meeting, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced that the country had been given a "complete and unlimited exemption", despite being one of the top European importers of Russian energy.
According to both AFP's and AP's sources, the exemption will apply for a period of one year.
At the same time, Hungary reportedly agreed to buy American liquefied natural gas worth approximately SEK 5.7 billion. They also agreed to cooperate in nuclear energy.
