Trump hosts Orban, exempts Hungary from Russian oil and gas sanctions

US President Donald Trump hosted Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the White House on Friday and said that he is looking at giving Hungary an exemption from American sanctions on Russian oil and gas. Asked whether the US president would give Hungary an exemption from American sanctions on Russian oil and gas, Trump said, “Sure, 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. It’s a great country, it’s a big country, but they don’t have sea. They don’t have the ports. And so they have a difficult problem,” Trump added.

Speaking to the press, Trump said, “It’s an honour to have a friend of mine here, PM Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, and he’s done a fantastic job... We’re going to be talking trade, we’re going to be talking a little bit of Russia-Ukraine, we’ll be talking about energy.”

Also Read: Tehran faces acute water scarcity and energy crisis; mulls rationing, evacuation

Trump praises Orbán's restrictive approach on refugees

Trump, a promoter of hardline immigration laws, also praised Orbán for his restrictive approach to refugees in Hungary.

“I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly, because he’s been right on immigration,” Trump said of the European Union, whose leaders are not great fans of Orban’s policies on the issue.

“Look what’s happened to Europe with the immigration they have people flooding Europe, all over the place, and it’s hurting.”

Also Read: Over 800 flights cancelled in US after aviation agency’s directive to cut air traffic

US removes sanctions on Syrian president ahead of Trump meeting

The United States has removed sanctions on Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, a day after the United Nations Security Council did the same ahead of his meeting with Donald Trump next week.

According to a notice on the treasury department website, the US removed Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations on al-Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister, Anas Khattab.

Also Read: At least five killed in Vietnam as Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall after unleashing devastation in Philippines

Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House on Monday will be a historic first such visit by a Syrian president, and will be his second meeting with Trump. Before their first meeting in May, the first between a US and a Syrian president in 25 years, Trump announced a major US policy shift when he said he would lift US sanctions on Syria.

“I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said on Thursday about the Syrian leader. “It’s a tough neighbourhood, and he’s a tough guy, but I got along with him very well. And a lot of progress has been made with Syria.”

“We did take the sanctions off Syria in order to give them a fighting shot,” he added.