Hungary Keeps Buying Russian Oil Despite US Pressure

President Donald Trump has demanded that NATO members and other buyers stop purchasing Russian oil, threatened tariffs and additional sanctions, and singled out China and India for continuing to buy Russian energy. Rising tensions included alleged Russian military jet incursions into Estonia and Poland that led to NATO fighter interceptions and Poland's request for allied consultations under Article 4; Trump promised support to Poland and the Baltic states. Hungary has rejected Washington’s demand, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó saying the landlocked country cannot ensure safe energy supplies without Russian oil and lacks the pipelines, terminals and refineries to switch suppliers quickly. Hungary’s state energy company MOL imports about 5 million tonnes of Russian crude annually via the Druzhba pipeline, making a rapid pivot difficult. Brussels has explored incentives, including unfreezing funds, to persuade Budapest to reduce Russian supplies, but Hungary says physical infrastructure constraints make that impossible in the short term. The standoff highlights growing geopolitical friction over Russian energy revenues and divisions within NATO and the EU about how to respond.