US President Donald Trump dedicated this week to entering Russia’s orbit with a meeting with the Asian C5 countries on Thursday, and another meeting with Hungarian President Viktor Orban yesterday. The C5 countries are Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
President Trump discussed trade, energy and mineral purchases with the C5 countries leaders, who, praised him highly. Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, even went as far as to say that President Trump was sent by “Heaven”. Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said that he hopes that such a summit will improve cooperation on energy and security between the C5 countries and the US.
The US State Department issued a statement saying that it aims to increase energy security via its trade with the C5 countries and also to develop the existing trans-Caspian trade route. The C5 countries are all previous members of the Soviet Union and an equivalent summit is also held with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Kazakhstan, which is considered as the leader of the C5 due to its economic size has been straying away from Russia to build closer ties with the West.
The meeting with the Hungarian President also involved discussions on energy. Viktor Orban requested an exemption over US sanctions on Russian oil. President Trump did not give a definitive answer but gave the impression that Hungary will be allowed to keep purchasing Russian oil from its current pipelines and said that his preoccupation is with other European countries.
Despite an exemption from the US, Hungary will still not be exempt from EU deadlines and rules and is still being compelled to comply with the current European ban on Russian oil.
Questioned on the Budapest summit with Vladimir Putin, President Trump had nothing new to say other than Hungary was chosen because both he and Putin like Viktor Orban. The meeting has been postponed indefinitely.
Hungary has also signed an agreement on nuclear energy cooperation with the agreement signed between the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and US State Secretary Marco Rubio.
Newsroom
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