U.S. drafting sanctions targeting Hungarian politicians with PM Orban’s party

A bipartisan group in U.S. Congress is drafting a package of sanctions that would target leading Hungarian political figures tied to the Viktor Orban government, mostly affiliated with the Fidesz party.

That’s according to The Guardian citing sources familiar with the drafting process, Ukrinform reports.

The legislation has been in preparation since last year and is expected to go before Congress as soon as next month where it is likely to draw gain enough votes to pass.

The sanctions bill is being drafted at a time of “steadily worsening relations between Washington and Budapest.”

Orbán was a close political ally of Donald Trump, and Fidesz maintains strong links with hardline U.S. conservatives.

This week, leaked Pentagon documents, based on intelligence, reported that the Hungarian prime minister had described the U.S. as one of his party’s top three adversaries.

On Thursday, Hungary announced plans to leave the Russia-controlled International Investment Bank (IIB), a day after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Budapest-based institution widely referred to as Moscow’s “Trojan horse” inside Europe.

The U.S. Treasury also announced sanctions against the former IIB board chair, Nikolay Kosov, and two senior management officials, Georgy Potapov and Imre Laszlóczki. Hungary expressed frustration at the U.S. pressure, while foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto said: “Hungary is a state, therefore it should be treated as one, instead of a colony.”

The U.S. embassy repeatedly noted “uniquely anti-American rhetoric from senior Hungarian officials and pervasive anti-American rhetoric in the media controlled by the government of Hungary”.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Hungary has been blocking Sweden’s accession to NATO, along with Türkiye.

Photo: miniszterelnok.hu