Hungary's Orban to visit Trump, discuss path to US-Russia meeting

BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on November 7 in Washington, where he aims to discuss a path to a U.S.-Russia meeting and seek exemption from U.S. energy sanctions, Orban's chief of staff said on Thursday.

Gergely Gulyas told a press briefing that the two leaders would also conclude agreements on co‑operation in the fields of energy, defence industry, economy and finance.

"Some of these have already been negotiated, while in other cases discussions are still ongoing," he said.

Orban had previously said that he aims to sign a broad economic agreement with Washington to offset the effect of U.S. tariffs on the European Union.

Gulyas said Orban and Trump could discuss a plan to work towards a U.S.-Russian meeting aimed at brokering peace in Ukraine.

"This meeting also offers an opportunity for the two heads of state to ... determine the roadmap that could lead to a U.S.–Russian meeting and, through that, to a Russian–Ukrainian peace agreement," Gulyas said.

Trump said this month that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital. However, that meeting was put on hold after Russia rejected a ceasefire.

Orban had said earlier that he would discuss U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft with Trump at their planned meeting.

On Thursday, Gulyas said that these sanctions do not directly impact Hungary's oil imports and Hungary's goal is to maintain this and seek an exemption from the measures.

"Our aim is ... that Hungary should get an exemption from U.S. sanctions so the purchases of Russian gas and crude oil could continue in a steady manner," Gulyas said.

Orban, a long-time Trump ally, envisioned a "golden era" in U.S.-Hungary relations under Trump's presidency. He will meet the U.S. president for the first time bilaterally since Trump returned to the White House.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than and Anita KomuvesEditing by Bernadette Baum, Aidan Lewis)

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