France, Nov. 7 -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is set to visit the White House on Friday, where he will meet US President Donald Trump for a high-stakes discussion centred on Hungary's reliance on Russian energy and the effect of new US sanctions targeting Russian oil.

The meeting comes as Orban is seeking an exemption from these sanctions, with Hungarian officials warning that their economy could face severe disruption if forced to cut off Russian imports abruptly.​

Hungary stands out in the European Union and NATO for having made little progress in reducing its dependency on Russian oil and gas since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

US officials, particularly ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker, have highlighte...