Hungary secures US exemption from sanctions on Russian oil & gas

1 December 2025

Hungary has said the US will grant an exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas after negotiations in Washington between Hungary’s Prime Minister and the US President. US officials said that the exemption has been granted in a statement to Reuters.

The exemption, which was first announced by Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will apply to imports via the Druzhba and TurkStream pipelines, both of which run through Hungary. The US sanctioned major Russian oil and gas producers in October 2025. Although the sanctions target Russian companies rather than the pipelines themselves, they would have affected Hungary’s use of the pipelines because payments to Russian companies would otherwise be prohibited. Hungary has now applied to OFAC for a licence following the agreement with the US. The US has also issued a GL related to the Paks II nuclear project in Hungary.