WASHINGTON, DC – US President Donald Trump said Thursday night that Russian oil exports have fallen “substantially,” touting the success of his sanctions regime just hours before Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s high-stakes visit to the White House.
Asked by reporters for an update on the sanctions, Trump replied: “Well, I can say that the exports from Russia are way down.”
He reiterated his calls for the end of the war in Ukraine, adding, “so many people are being killed. A lot of Russian soldiers are being killed.”
He then emphasized, “So yeah, Russian exports are substantially down.”
The US President’s remarks came during a dinner with Central Asian leaders, where he again urged Moscow to “get smart” and end the fighting in Ukraine.
Crucially, Trump’s comments also landed just a day before Orbán – one of Europe’s most Kremlin-friendly leaders – arrives in Washington seeking an exemption from the sweeping US oil sanctions that have begun to bite.
Orbán’s wish list
Orbán’s government, deeply dependent on Russian petroleum, is expected to press Trump for a carve-out allowing Hungary to continue purchasing Russian oil despite the new restrictions.
The Hungarian leader has called the sanctions a “mistake,” arguing that abruptly cutting off Russian supplies would trigger an energy shock at home.
“Hungary is very dependent on Russian oil and gas,” Orbán said last month. “Without them, energy prices will skyrocket, causing shortages in our supplies.”
Any such exemption would represent a dramatic exception to Trump’s sanctions policy – and a symbolic blow to Ukraine and the EU, which have urged Washington to keep up the pressure on Moscow.
Officials familiar with the planning told Kyiv Post that Orbán’s team sees the White House meeting as a make-or-break moment.
While Trump has not signaled support for the exemption, aides note his personal affinity for Orbán, whom he has called “a very strong leader.”
Trump Treasury Department draws a hard line
Adding to the high-stakes atmosphere, just hours before the Orbán trip and Trump’s comments about Russia sanctions, the US Treasury Department reinforced the administration’s tough stance. It issued a blistering statement about the Swiss-based trading house Gunvor, which had attempted to buy the foreign assets of Russia’s private oil giant Lukoil.
“President Trump has been clear that the war must end immediately,” the Department wrote on social media. “As long as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin continues the senseless killings, the Kremlin’s puppet, Gunvor, will never get a license to operate and profit,” reads the post.
Gunvor subsequently withdrew its proposal, effectively killing what would have been its largest acquisition. The deal’s collapse highlighted Washington’s determination to choke off revenue that fuels Russia’s war effort.
Analysts say the timing of the Treasury’s post was no coincidence.
“Transferring assets from a sanctioned Russian energy company to a Kremlin-connected trader was never a credible sanctions-evasion play,” said veteran US ambassador, former Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried. “Good that Treasury made that clear,” he added.
Diplomatic balancing act
The developments underscore the delicate balance Trump faces as he seeks to maintain leverage over Moscow while preserving relationships with European allies – some of whom, like Hungary, are struggling with energy dependence on Russia.
For Orbán, the stakes are domestic as much as geopolitical. Rising energy prices have already fueled discontent in Budapest, and the prime minister’s critics have said his push for an exemption is less about economics than about preserving his long-standing political ties with the Kremlin.
For Trump, granting Orbán a waiver could fracture the fragile Western unity behind sanctions and open him to criticism from Kyiv and Brussels. Denying the request, however, risks straining ties with one of the few EU leaders openly supportive of Trump’s foreign policy approach.
As Orbán prepares for his White House visit, both allies and critics will be watching to see whether Trump’s firm rhetoric – “Russian exports are way down” – translates into sustained enforcement.
If the White House holds the line, Hungary could be forced to accelerate diversification away from Russian oil, aligning more closely with EU energy goals.
If Trump offers Orbán a carve-out, it would signal that political loyalty, not policy consistency, drives the administration’s sanctions agenda.
Either way, Trump’s timing was “unmistakable,” as one US official put it. On the eve of welcoming Europe’s most Moscow-friendly leader, he wanted the world to hear one thing clearly: his sanctions are biting – and Russia is hurting.