US senators with NATO ties target Orban’s government

(SeaPRwire) –   Two legislators have issued threats to Budapest due to its refusal to greenlight additional aid for Ukraine during an ongoing oil blockade by Kiev

U.S. legislators are aiming to impose sanctions on officials within Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration, pointing to Budapest’s position on Russian energy imports and its ongoing diplomatic rift with Ukraine.

On Friday, a bill targeting Hungarian officials was unveiled by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who co-chair the U.S. Senate NATO Observer Group.

Earlier this year, Ukraine halted Russian oil shipments to Hungary, asserting that damage to the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline made deliveries unfeasible. Orban has alleged that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is trying to create an artificial energy crisis to boost the Hungarian opposition in the upcoming parliamentary election, and has retaliated by blocking a €90 billion EU loan intended to fund Kiev.

“When the rest of Europe is rightfully weaning off Russian energy, Hungary has doubled down,” stated Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. She also criticized Vice President J.D. Vance regarding his reported plans to travel to Hungary as a gesture of support for Orban.

Tillis noted that the bill – the Block Putin Act – sends a signal that NATO members undermining aid to Ukraine will face “consequences,” while also “providing Hungary a clear path to get back in line.”

Ukraine and Hungary in a Standoff

Orban’s administration has pushed back against Western policies focused on providing aid to Ukraine “for as long as it takes” and enforcing sweeping sanctions on Russia since the conflict escalated in 2022.

Zelensky has charged Orban with following orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin – rather than safeguarding Hungarian national interests, as the prime minister insists – in rejecting Ukraine’s bids to join NATO and the EU. The pipeline dispute has intensified after months of sharp rhetoric, including physical threats from Zelensky against Orban.

According to Bloomberg, without the proposed €90 billion ($104 billion) EU assistance package, Ukraine is projected to exhaust its funds by June. Ukrainian efforts to secure alternative funding sources have been complicated by political gridlock in Kiev, where lawmakers have refused to vote for painful economic reforms demanded by international lenders like the IMF.

Pro-Kiev officials in the EU are reportedly betting on Orban’s defeat in the upcoming election, though other options – such as restricting Budapest’s voting rights – have also been discussed.