Szijjarto says US is ready to review some sanctions against Russia

The Hungarian Foreign Minister clarified that the sanctions in question affect his country's energy security, i.e., concern the purchase of hydrocarbons from RUSSIA and cooperation with it in nuclear energy Peter Szijjarto and Marco Rubio

The United States is ready to discuss lifting sanctions that "affect Hungary's energy security," including restrictions imposed on Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“The current American administration is absolutely, 100%, open to the fact that the [sanctions] measures taken under the administration of [former President Joe] Biden should be reviewed with the aim of canceling them,” he said in an interview with the Hungarian TV channel M1 ( quoted by TASS ).

The minister noted that sanctions prevent Budapest from buying gas from Moscow and complicate cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister also said the United States may reconsider sanctions that the Biden administration imposed "to damage US-Hungarian relations." These include restrictions against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, Antal Rogan, for "involvement in corruption in Hungary," which were imposed in January.

Russia considers the sanctions imposed against it illegal and demanded that they be lifted in order to begin negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine .

Hungary is also seeking action from the European Union to improve its energy security. After the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine ceased on January 1, Budapest is trying to develop measures to combat the ensuing energy crisis.

Szijjarto said that Hungary had received energy security guarantees from the EU , including an invitation to Brussels' negotiations with Kiev on the resumption of gas transit through Ukrainian territory; Ukraine's refusal to attack the Turkish Stream gas pipeline; uninterrupted oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, and others.

The first two guarantees, the Hungarian Foreign Minister noted, had already been violated. He threatened that this would affect Budapest's decision-making on Ukraine - after which Hungary blocked the draft document on security guarantees and new military aid to Kyiv.

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