Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he is rejecting President Donald Trump’s call to stop purchasing oil from Russia.
“I told the U.S. president … that if Hungary is cut off from Russian oil and natural gas, immediately, within a minute, Hungarian economic performance will drop by 4%,” Orban said. “It means the Hungarian economy would be on its knees.”
Orban said he is simply acting in his country’s best interests, just as Trump is doing.
“There is no need for either of us to accept the arguments of the other,” Orban said. “America has its arguments and interests, and Hungary does too.”
Trump has said he understands why countries like Hungary and Slovakia continue to buy Russian oil.
“They have one pipeline coming,” Trump said last week. “[Orban] is a great friend of mine, but it’s harder for them, and Slovakia. They’re sort of married to one pipeline.”
The European Union banned the import of Russian oil following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, but granted an exemption to Hungary and Slovakia until 2027.
The two countries have said importing Russian oil through a pipeline transiting Ukraine is better for them economically than trying to diversify their energy supply, The Hill reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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