US Senators Issue Ultimatum To Orban

• 27.03.2026, 15:58

The law imposes sanctions against high-ranking Hungarian officials.

U.S. congressional senators intend to introduce a sanctions bill this week against high-ranking Hungarian officials responsible for buying Russian energy resources and stopping European aid to Ukraine. The "Putin Blocking Act" envisions asset freezes and visa bans, writes Financial Times, which has familiarized itself with the document.

Senators have launched an offensive against Viktor Orban as he prevents the European Union from granting Ukraine a €90 billion loan and wages an aggressive propaganda campaign against it, accusing it of stopping the transit of Russian oil.

"The United States and our allies must continue to act together to support Ukraine and cut off the revenue sources that fuel Putin's war," said the bill's co-sponsor, Republican Tom Tillis. - This bill would hold senior Hungarian officials accountable while offering Hungary a clear path to regain common ground with its allies - to divest from Russian energy resources and stop interfering with support for Ukraine." Democrat Jean Shaheen, who along with Tillis heads the Senate's NATO watchdog group, added: "If we want the war in Ukraine to end, the Trump administration must consistently hold our allies to the same standards; no one, especially Viktor Orban, should get away with this [support for Putin]."

The bill does not directly mention Orban as a target of sanctions, the FT notes. The presidential administration will have to determine which Hungarian officials were involved in delaying the allocation of funds to Ukraine and maintaining the country's energy dependence on Russia, an aide to a senator explained to the newspaper.