Hungarian minister Antal Rogán on US blacklist: What you need to know!
Following Tuesday’s meeting of the Hungarian National Security Committee, Zoltán Sas, the committee’s chairman, announced that the Hungarian secret services had officially contacted the relevant US authorities regarding the case of Antal Rogán. The aim of the investigation is to clarify the basis for the US sanctions against Antal Rogán; however, the US side has so far been unable to provide any evidence.
The legal background to the US sanctions regime is that the decision is lawful, as acknowledged by the Hungarian authorities. Antal Rogán’s inclusion on the so-called Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list occurred in the final hours of the Biden administration, reflecting ongoing tensions in US-Hungarian political relations. David Pressman, the US ambassador in Budapest, stated that Rogán was a central figure in Hungary’s system of corruption, which largely justified the sanction.
Hungarian intelligence: answers and questions
According to the committee meeting, the Hungarian intelligence services perceive external actors as attempting to hinder the improvement of US-Hungarian relations, particularly in light of a possible Trump administration return.
As reported by Telex, the exact details of the information are classified as state secrets and are not publicly available. At the same time, the request for information from the intelligence services raises the question of whether Antal Rogán himself could gain access to information from US sources, given that he oversees Hungary’s civilian intelligence services.
The deterioration in US-Hungarian relations can be attributed to Hungary’s policy towards Russia, which has been repeatedly criticised by the Biden administration. The sanctions are based on corruption allegations made by the US through a presidential decree. Hungarian public opinion remains divided over the case: while some view it as a legitimate decision, others suspect it is an act of political revenge.
Public opinion and policy implications
According to 24.hu, a significant proportion of respondents believe the sanctions are detrimental to Hungary, while a minority consider them a political move by the outgoing Biden administration.
The political dimensions of the issue are further complicated by the fact that many link the US decision to Hungary’s pro-Russian foreign policy.
Other security issues were also discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, including the Syrian plane hoax, on which no substantive information was provided, and the hacking attack on the Defence Procurement Agency, which poses a serious cybersecurity threat. Further details regarding the attack are expected in February.
Hungarian public opinion is divided on the potential return of a Trump administration. Few believe that a new administration would immediately remove Antal Rogán from the sanctions list. Many anticipate a protracted legal process or a gradual waning of attention on the issue.
The case highlights the complex dynamics of Hungarian-American relations, where geopolitical interests and allegations of corruption are closely intertwined. How the situation unfolds could significantly influence political relations between the two countries in the near future.
Read also: