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The president had previously said he would consider an exemption for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally who maintained good relations with Russia throughout the war in Ukraine.

Speaking during Orbán’s White House visit on Friday, Trump said the waiver was being considered “because it is very difficult for Orbán to obtain oil and gas from other regions.”

The move follows last month’s effective blacklisting of Russia’s two largest oil companies by the U.S., alongside threats of sanctions on buyers of their crude.

After the meeting, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote on X that the U.S. had granted Budapest “a full and unlimited exemption” from oil and gas sanctions.

A U.S. official later told the BBC that the exemption is limited to one year.

Trump’s decision marks a major victory for Orbán, who argued that sanctions would devastate his country’s economy.

During the public portion of the meeting, Trump expressed sympathy for Hungary’s position — a landlocked country dependent on Russian oil and gas — but stopped short of firm guarantees.

It later emerged that the U.S. president had granted a one-year waiver, contradicting his pledge two weeks earlier to punish anyone doing business with Russian energy firms.

As part of the arrangement, Hungary agreed to purchase several hundred million dollars’ worth of U.S. natural gas, though the deal is likely to be poorly received in many European capitals long critical of Budapest’s friendly stance toward Moscow.

Orbán has long been a close personal and political ally of the president, echoing much of Trump’s right-wing populist rhetoric on migration and social issues. That loyalty appears to have earned the Hungarian leader special treatment as he faces tough elections in the spring.

On Friday, Trump and Orbán also discussed the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a meeting with Putin — their first official talks since Trump’s return to power.

Trump said of Orbán: “He understands Putin and knows him very well… I think Viktor believes the war will end in the not-too-distant future.”

Meanwhile, the Hungarian leader claimed that only two countries genuinely want peace in Ukraine.

“All other governments prefer the war to continue because most believe Ukraine can win on the battlefield — which is a misreading,” he said.

Trump then asked Orbán, “So you’re saying Ukraine can’t win this war?” Orbán replied, “You know, miracles can happen.”