For Viktor Orbán, his visit to Washington was more than just an ordinary meeting.
The Hungarian Prime Minister arrived in Washington with a 180-strong delegation and high hopes, counting on his friendship with US President Donald Trump to secure an exemption to buy Russian oil and a public endorsement ahead of April's election.
In that sense, he got both.
Trump called him a "great leader" and a friend. He also handed Hungary one-year exemption to keep buying Russian oil after the US imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian energy last month out of frustration for the lack of progress in peace negotiations. The exemption means that Hungary will continue to buy Russian fuels through the Druzhba and South Stream pipelines just as Orbán wanted.
"Orbán will be very happy about the outcome of his visit to Washington. In the short term, he seems to have gotten out of it with pretty much everything he wanted," Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at Bruegel told Euronews after the meeting.
An 'election gift' to Orbán ahead of tigh
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