Hungary has asked the United States to exempt Gazprombank from sanctions on natural gas payments because the restrictions could negatively affect some U.S. allies, Reuters reported, citing a statement from Hungary’s foreign minister.
The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank on November 21 as President Joe Biden ratchets up pressure on Moscow ahead of his departure from office in January. The sanctions bar the state-controlled lender from handling any new energy-related deals that affect the U.S. financial system.
“Yesterday, we submitted our request to the relevant U.S. authorities to grant Gazprombank an exemption from sanctions on natural gas payments,” Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
Szijjarto, who was speaking in Brussels after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, cited U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying he was “ready to consult with allies for whom sanctions are creating problems.”
Hungary receives 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia under a 15-year contract signed in 2021.
Szijjarto noted that any exemption would be similar to those granted to other Russian banks that process payments for Russian uranium purchased by the United States.