US President, Donald Trump has expressed openness to new congressional sanctions against Russia – days after the Hungarian president said Trump had assured him his country could continue to import Russian crude oil.

 

 

 

“Any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned,” Trump told journalists at Palm Beach Airport on Sunday evening, November 16..

 

He said that was “OK” with him. “We may add Iran to the formula,” he continued.

 

 

 

 

Trump did not provide any further details on the planned punitive measures.

 

 

On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, after meeting with Trump, that he had received assurances from the US president that his country would be able to continue importing crude oil from Russia despite US sanctions on Moscow.

 

 

 

However in late October, the US government imposed new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies.

 

 

The move was a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to end the “senseless war” against Ukraine, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

 

 

 

The sanctions are intended to increase pressure on Russia’s energy sector and thus curtail the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war machine.