US President Donald Trump approved a full sanctions exemption for Hungary on Russian oil and gas imports during his White House meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in what both sides called a new era of US–Hungarian cooperation. The leaders secured multimillion-dollar deals on nuclear energy, defence, and space technology.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is set to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on 7 November, with energy cooperation expected to dominate the talks. According to Index, the two governments have worked for months on a deal involving American nuclear technology and gas exports that could fundamentally reshape Hungary’s energy strategy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on 7 November, Minister Gergely Gulyás announced on Thursday. The two leaders will discuss cooperation in energy, defence, and finance, as well as prospects for achieving peace in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
US President Donald Trump has endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the 2026 parliamentary election, expressing full confidence that he will outperform his 2022 result. Speaking at the Gaza peace deal signing in Egypt, Trump called Orbán ‘fantastic’ and said the US stands ‘100 per cent behind’ Hungary’s leader.
At Ludovika University, experts including former Ambassador Réka Szemerkényi and former US Assistant Secretary Philip T Reeker discussed the present and future of US–Hungary relations. Topics included strong historical ties, NATO cooperation, economic partnerships, and shared values. Panels also addressed investment, the war in Ukraine, and cultural exchange programmes.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed claims that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a Russian ‘Trojan horse’ in the EU, calling the accusations ‘nonsense’ and ‘absurd’ in an interview with opposition channel Partizán. She stressed Orbán has always pursued Hungary’s interests, often clashing with Brussels but also seeking compromise.
The agreement is not just a matter for Ukraine and the US. There is a geopolitical realignment of the world’s raw materials markets, in which Europe’s interests are strongly involved. If US companies are, in practice, given priority access to Ukrainian raw materials, this could limit the EU’s room for manoeuvre at a time when the speed of the green transition will determine future competitiveness.
‘The defence of democracy, human rights, and sovereignty cannot be contingent on political expediency or the geopolitical convenience of targeting smaller or less powerful states. A genuinely united Europe must demonstrate a consistent and impartial commitment to its principles, respecting the agency of all member states.’
The United States and Russia held the first round of Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia, after which both sides agreed to work on improving relations and advancing toward a resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised the discussions, stating that the parties had not only listened but truly heard each other.
‘Hungary remains a major source of electricity and fuel for Ukraine and has carried out its largest humanitarian operation to date, hosting around one million Ukrainian refugees. Furthermore, the Prime Minister himself has stated that it is in Hungary’s utmost interest to always have a viable Ukraine between Hungary and Russia…’