Hungary’s Orbán vows to ‘circumvent’ US sanctions on Russian oil titans

By Seb Starcevic | 10/27/2025 06:54 AM EDT

“The battle is not over yet,” the Hungarian prime minister says, teeing up a possible fight with the White House.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a summit to support ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

President Donald Trump greets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a summit to support ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 13 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Pool photo by Evan Vucci

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday that Budapest was working on how to “circumvent” American sanctions on Russian oil and gas companies.

President Donald Trump announced last week he was imposing “tremendous” new sanctions on Russia’s multinational Lukoil and its state-owned Rosneft, in the first such measures since he took office.

While the details are still being firmed up, the sanctions could force Moscow to shut off its remaining oil pipelines to Europe — and that’s bad news for Hungary, which gets the majority of its supplies from Russia.

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Orbán — a longtime Trump ally — was defiant, however, claiming the “battle is not over yet” and insisting Budapest will find ways to get around Washington’s sanctions.

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