Trump considering potential exemption for Hungary to purchase Russian oil

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering issuing a waiver for Hungary to continue purchasing Russian oil without fear of facing secondary sanctions from the US.

"We're looking at it, because it's very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you know, they don't have the advantage of having sea ... they don't have the ports," Trump said in response to a reporter's question as he hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House.

"That question could be really asked, maybe more accurately, if you talked about many European countries, not Hungary necessarily, because Hungary is in a different position, but many European countries are buying oil and gas from Russia, and they have been for years," he added.

Trump in October imposed US sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies — Rosneft and Lukoil — and 34 of their subsidiaries in a bid ramp up pressure on the Kremlin as he seeks to broker a long-elusive peace deal that would end Moscow's war on Ukraine.