Hungary has asked U.S. officials not to impose tariffs on the country over its continued purchases of Russian oil. The issue could become an early test for Hungary’s new leadership, which earlier this year won a landslide election victory over President Trump’s ally Viktor Orban.
Last week, U.S. lawmakers passed the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which authorizes and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia and also extends existing sanctions on Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on Friday.
The law allows the President to potentially impose trade tariffs of up to 100% ad valorem on countries that are major importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas. Under the text, the duty could apply to all goods imported into the United States from a country that is among the five largest importers of Russian-origin crude oil or natural gas if it knowingly makes new purchases after the bill’s enactment.
According to OilPrice.com, Hungary is among the biggest importers of Russian crude, after China, India, and Turkey, which could make it a target under the new U.S. law.
During a decade and a half under Viktor Orban, Hungary maintained close ties with Russia and Putin and refused to give up Russian oil purchases after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Orban’s successor, Prime Minister Peter Magyar, has pledged to diversify energy imports and break with the pro-Russia policy of previous Orban governments.
Marton Hajdu, chair of the Foreign Policy Committee in Hungary’s Parliament and a member of Magyar’s ruling party, met U.S. officials in Washington and said in a Facebook post that he had asked lawmakers from both parties to “help Hungary reduce its reliance on Russian energy and ensure its energy supply from multiple sources.”
He also said he asked U.S. officials not to impose tariffs on Hungary during the period in which the country is trying to free itself from Russian energy imports. “We are building Hungarian-American relations based on long-term interests and shared values, which go beyond electoral cycles,” Hajdu said.
