Chief of Staff to the Hungarian Prime Minister Antal Rogán has been removed from the US sanctions list, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced Tuesday evening. The news followed a phone call earlier that day between Szijjártó and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
‘After the Biden administration’s crushing election loss, but before @realDonaldTrump returned to office, Democrats took revenge on Hungary by sanctioning Minister Antal Rogán,’ Szijjártó wrote in a post on X. He added that a ‘new era’ has begun, attributing the sanctions to a ‘frustrated ambassador’, referring to former US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman.
The US Treasury placed Rogán under Magnitsky sanctions in January, just days before Joe Biden’s envoy left Budapest. The decision was announced by Pressman himself, who accused the senior Hungarian official of serious corruption. As a result of the sanctions, Rogán was barred from entering the United States.
The Hungarian government described the move as the final and petty act of revenge by Pressman—an ambassador who, throughout his tenure, acted more like an activist than a diplomat. During his more than two years in Hungary, Pressman led smear campaigns against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, repeatedly criticizing the Hungarian government’s policies—particularly its relations with Russia and China—and used most of his speeches and public appearances to attempt to destabilize Hungary’s leadership.
Although Pressman is now gone, the consequences of his actions remain. In addition to the sanctions against Rogán, Washington unilaterally terminated the double taxation agreement between the two countries, a move that has negatively affected bilateral economic relations, harming both citizens and companies.
Following Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024, Hungary expressed hope that these retaliatory measures would be reversed. The lifting of sanctions on Rogán is a highly encouraging development—one that may signal further positive changes. As Hungarian Conservative reported in January, negotiations on restoring the double taxation treaty are already under way.
During his call with Secretary of State Rubio, Szijjártó reaffirmed Hungary’s full support for Donald Trump’s peace efforts regarding the war in Ukraine, and welcomed Washington’s commitment to negotiating an end to the conflict. He also noted that the two discussed Hungary’s exit from the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced in early April, coinciding with the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is subject to an ICC-issued arrest warrant.
‘There is no doubt that Hungarian–American relations have entered a new chapter, marked by mutual respect, shared priorities, and close cooperation,’ Szijjártó concluded.
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