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Trump lifts sanctions against senior Hungarian official, imposed by Biden administration

Politiko 2025-04-16 08:39:07

Trump lifts sanctions against senior Hungarian official, imposed by Biden

The United States has lifted sanctions on Antal Rogán, a senior official and close aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the State Department said, adding that the punitive measures were not consistent with U.S. foreign policy interests.

Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, spoke on Tuesday with his Hungarian counterpart, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, and informed him of the move, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement, The Guardian reports .

“The Secretary informed Foreign Minister Szijjarto of the removal of senior Hungarian official Antal Rogán from the U.S. Treasury Department’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, noting that the continued designation was contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests ,” Bruce said.

The two also discussed strengthening U.S.-Hungary alignment on critical issues and opportunities for economic cooperation, Bruce said.

Orbán and his Fidesz party have been among Donald Trump's most vocal supporters in Europe.

Joe Biden's administration imposed sanctions on Rogán on January 7 for corruption, in a move that Budapest vowed to challenge once Trump returned to the White House on January 20.

Rogán is a close aide to Orbán and has headed his cabinet office since 2015.

“Throughout his tenure as a government official, Rogán has orchestrated Hungary’s system for distributing public contracts and resources to cronies loyal to him and the Fidesz political party,” the U.S. Treasury Department said at the time.

Accusations of corruption and cronyism have dogged Orban since he came to power in 2010, while Budapest's relations with Washington have become increasingly strained during Biden's presidency, in part due to Budapest's warm ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.

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