BUDAPEST, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hungary's prime minister said Friday that the country has secured a continued exemption from United States sanctions on Russian fossil fuels, while also outlining a planned "financial shield" agreed with Washington to help protect the Hungarian economy from external shocks.
In his weekly interview with local public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, Viktor Orban said the exemption covers crude oil deliveries and natural gas supplies from Russia, which he described as essential for Hungary's energy security. He said the arrangement guarantees that household utility bills and fuel prices remain stable, adding that without the waiver, average families would face sharply higher energy costs.
Local political debates in recent days have focused on whether the exemption is open-ended or limited to a one-year period, with opposition parties calling for full transparency on the exact terms.
Earlier this week, U.S. State Secretary Marc Rubio confirmed that president Donald Trump has exempted Hungary from sanctions over its continued purchases of Russian oil and gas for one year.
Yet Orban was adamant that the agreement will remain in effect "as long as" the current Hungarian government is in office and Trump leads the U.S. administration.
Orban also said that Hungary will purchase liquefied natural gas from the United States over the next five years as part of ongoing diversification efforts. The volume, he said, remains modest compared to Hungary's total natural gas demand but contributes to supply security by broadening import sources.
Orban also detailed what he called an "American financial shield," saying there are four or five internationally recognized instruments used by friendly countries to support each other in cases of financial stress. According to him, these mechanisms -- operated by central banks or governments -- could be activated if the forint came under speculative pressure or if foreign exchange conditions tightened unexpectedly.
He firmly rejected the opposition's criticism that compared the "shield" with a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He said the tools would only be used if required and stressed that the arrangement differs fundamentally from the IMF program taken by a previous Hungarian socialist government in 2008, as it carries no domestic austerity conditions. ■