The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on one of Orbán's closest allies.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against one of the most influential figures in the circle of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – the head of the government office, Antal Rogán, reports BBC.

This decision from Washington highlights the deterioration of relations between the U.S. and Hungary over the past three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Rogán is reported to have organized schemes to control strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy. Minister Rogán played a central role in establishing a system in Hungary that benefits him and his party at the expense of the Hungarian people. Rogán's activities reflect a broader picture of an atmosphere of impunity, where key positions in Hungary are occupied by oligarchs and undemocratic actors,” stated the U.S. Treasury.

“Antal Rogán is the chief architect, executor, and beneficiary of this system of corruption,” said U.S. Ambassador to Budapest David Pressman.

Pressman will be leaving Budapest next week. He has served in Hungary for two and a half years and has been extremely active and vocal, traveling around the country and criticizing Orbán and his government.

“Minister Rogán's mouthpieces in the press will attempt to portray this matter as an example of partisan politics or an attack on sovereignty, but in reality, today’s decision is the opposite,” Ambassador Pressman told reporters on Tuesday.

“The sovereignty of Hungary is not threatened by the United States, but by the kleptocratic system in which Minister Rogán has participated in building and leading, and from which he has personally benefited,” the U.S. ambassador continued.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó immediately responded to the Treasury's decision and the ambassador's statements.

“This is a personal vendetta by the ambassador, who was sent to Hungary by a failing U.S. administration and leaves without success and in disgrace,” Szijjártó wrote on Facebook. “How nice that in a few days, the United States will be led by people who see our country as a friend, not an enemy.”

A few days after Pressman’s departure, Donald Trump will return to the White House in Washington, who, unlike the Biden administration, has a positive view of Orbán and even considers him a political ally.

Now, Donald Trump and the future ambassador to Budapest, Matt Whitaker, face the question of whether to lift the sanctions against Antal Rogán immediately after Trump takes office.

Background. It is worth noting that the European Union denied Hungary funding of 1 billion euros due to issues with corruption in the country. Overall, the EU is blocking around 19 billion in grants for Budapest due to various violations.