U.S. removes sanctions on Orban ally, cites shift in policy

The United States is lifting sanctions on a senior Hungarian official, in a move that signals warming ties between Washington and Budapest under President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto that Antal Rogan, a longtime confidant of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was being removed from the Treasury Department’s sanctions list.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rogan’s continued designation was “inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy interests,” and that both sides also discussed boosting economic cooperation and strategic alignment.

The decision comes just months after the Biden administration, in its final days, sanctioned Rogan over alleged corruption, accusing him of steering public resources to allies of Orban’s ruling Fidesz party. Budapest rejected the move at the time, vowing to revisit it once Trump returned to the White House.

Rogan, who has led Orban’s cabinet office since 2015, has been a central figure in Hungary’s political machine, overseeing media operations and election strategy for more than a decade. Orban has consistently denied accusations of corruption.

Relations between Hungary and the U.S. became increasingly tense during Joe Biden’s presidency, largely over Budapest’s friendly ties with Moscow and democratic backsliding. But Orban was among Trump’s most vocal European supporters during the 2024 campaign and has welcomed renewed outreach from Washington.

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