Published on 28/10/2025 – 6:45 GMT+1
•Updated
10:54

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he will discuss new US sanctions on Russian oil with President Trump in Washington next week.

The US slapped sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, last week, with the former also being blacklisted by the EU.

“We are discussing how to build a sustainable system for my country’s economy, because Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas. Without them, energy prices will skyrocket, causing shortages in our supplies,” Orbán told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica during a visit to Rome.

When asked if Trump went too far and had made a mistake by targeting Russia’s energy sector, Orbán said that he had gone too far, adding that Hungary will find a “way out” from the sanctions.

Landlocked Hungary imports most of its fossil fuels from Russia, despite repeated calls from the United States and the European Union to end its dependency on energy from Moscow, an issue which has become a point of tension.

The impact of US sanctions

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the government is examining the possible impact of the sanctions, which the US says will stay in place until Russian President Vladimir Putin shows a genuine willingness to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine.

“As for the American sanctions, since their entry into force is still some way off, these measures have not yet caused any loss or difficulties in terms of our energy imports from Russia,” Szijjártó said at a press conference in Budapest on Monday.

Separately, the European Commission said the US sanctions do not pose any immediate danger for the security of supplies into Europe, as member states are required to hold oil reserves for 90 days.

“Last week’s decision obviously might have an impact and we want to make sure that our member states are prepared, that they have a plan and we are here to support them with this,” Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, European Commission spokesperson, told journalists.

Pressure mounts on Slovakia and Hungary

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has made several attempts to cut its energy dependency on Russia.

In 2022, the bloc banned the purchase of Russian pipeline oil, with Hungary and Slovakia receiving exemptions. However, while there is no ban on Russian pipeline gas, the EU plans to phase out all fuel imports by the end of 2027 in the bloc.

Max Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO, talking to Fox News on Sunday, criticised Hungary for not doing enough to end dependency.

Last week the US opted to sanction the Russian energy sector for the first time since the war in Ukraine started.

“Hungary, unlike many of its neighbours, has not made any plans and has not taken any active steps. We are going to work with their neighbours, like Croatia and other countries, that can help them to wind them off. And that pipeline will most likely shut off in the coming years,” Whitaker said, referring to the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Slovakia will have to present a plan to decouple from Russian energy too, he added.

According to the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Hungary further increased its energy dependency since the start of the full-scale invasion.

In 2022, 61% of Hungary’s crude oil needs were imported from Russia. This year so far, it has risen to 92%, while Slovakia depends almost entirely on Russia for oil imports.

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Three former federal immigration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters that it was unusual for a top official to be summoned to court on short notice.

In the video, Bovino appeared to toss a canister of gas at protesters who had gathered as federal agents conducted arrests last Thursday in a Chicago neighborhood known for being home to many Mexican immigrants.

In a statement on Friday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were surrounded by a large group while conducting an enforcement operation. She said some people in the crowd shot fireworks and threw rocks, hitting Bovino in the head, and that agents gave warnings before deploying chemicals.

A DHS spokesperson on Monday defended Bovino and the agency’s crowd-control tactics.

“DHS can think of nobody better to correct Judge Ellis’s deep misconceptions about its mission, and we thank him for his service,” the spokesperson said.

TRUMP’S BLITZ OPERATION FACES RESISTANCE

Tuesday’s hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by protesters, journalists and clergy in Chicago against Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials earlier this month, alleging they were deliberately targeted and brutalized during demonstrations.

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Israel announced Tuesday that it had received from Hamas via the Red Cross the remains of a deceased hostage as President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline looms.

The remains, however, did not match any of the 13 deceased hostages whose bodies are still in Gaza. Fox News has learned that the coffin handed over to Israel was assessed to contain the remains of a hostage whose body was already brought back to Israel for burial. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged the public to respect the privacy of the hostages’ families. Netanyahu’s office later identified the remains as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, whose body was first recovered in 2023.

The Hostages and Missing Families forum released a statement following the return of more of Tzarfati’s remains.

“Ofir attended the Nova Festival to celebrate his birthday with his partner Shoval and close friends. The birthday celebration was brutally cut short when Ofir was abducted into captivity, where he was murdered. Ofir’s body was recovered at the end of November 2023 and brought to burial in Israel,” the forum wrote.

IDF SAYS BODY TURNED OVER BY HAMAS DOESN’T MATCH ANY HOSTAGES

The forum also noted that some of Tzarfati’s remains were returned in March 2024 and that in August 2024, Hamas published a photo of his body.

“We went to sleep last night with anticipation and hope that another family would close an agonizing two-year circle and bring their loved one home for burial. But once again, deception has been inflicted upon our family as we try to heal. This morning we were shown video footage of our beloved son’s remains being removed, buried, and handed over to the Red Cross — an abhorrent manipulation designed to sabotage the deal and abandon the effort to bring all the hostages home,” the Tzarfati family wrote in a statement.

“This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son. The circle supposedly ‘closed’ back in December 2023, but it never truly closes. Since then, we have lived with a wound that constantly reopens, between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission.”

The Tzarfati family urged the public to support the families who were still waiting for their loved ones to be brought home for a dignified burial.

The kidnapped poster of Ofir Tzarfati, who was recently declared killed and kidnapped, is seen at a memorial display of photos of people killed during Hamas’s attack on the Super Nova festival at the site on Nov. 30, 2023 in Re’im, Israel.  (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

HAMAS SAYS IT WILL HAND OVER ANOTHER HOSTAGE BODY, AS TRUMP’S 48-HOUR WARNING LOOMS

On Saturday, Trump touted the “very strong peace in the Middle East,” but then he slammed Hamas and demanded they “start returning the bodies of deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly.” He said that if the terror group failed to hold up its end of the deal, other countries would “take action.”

“We have a very strong PEACE in the Middle East, and I believe it has a good chance of being EVERLASTING. Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president added that while he said that “both dies would be treated fairly,” his promise would only apply if “they comply with their obligations.”

A drone view shows participants holding a large banner during a rally held by hostage families and supporters at “Hostages Square” to demand the immediate release of the bodies of the deceased hostages who were kidnapped in the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 18, 2025.  (Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters)

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Trump acknowledged that “some of the bodies are hard to reach,” but said others could start being returned now, adding that “for some reason, they are not.” He then said that it would remain to be seen what actions Hamas would take in the coming 48 hours, adding, “I am watching this very closely.”

Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire began, all living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released, while the country awaits the return of deceased hostages’ remains.

So far, Israel has received 15 of the 28 deceased hostages’ remains, including Aryeh Zalmanovich, Master Sergeant (Res.) Tamir Adar, Staff Sgt. Tal Haimi, Suntaya Akrasi, Ronen Tommy Engel, Eliyahu Margalit, Uriel Baruch, Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, Eitan Levi, Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi, Guy Illuz, Bipin Joshi, Inbar Hayman and Sergeant Major Muhammad Al-Atresh. The remains of U.S.-Israeli citizens Cpt. Omer Neutra and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, have not been returned to Israel.

The Israeli government and military have repeatedly called on Hamas to hold up its end of the deal and give families the closure they have been denied for over two years.