U.S. Lifts Corruption Sanctions on Orban Aide Antal Rogan

On April 15, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department lifted sanctions it had imposed months earlier on Antal Rogan, the head of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet, over allegations of corruption and cronyism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Hungary's foreign minister of the decision directly, and the State Department said the sanctions had been inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy interests.

The original sanctions had accused Rogan of using his position to enrich himself and allies and to control strategic sectors of Hungary's economy. Their removal was celebrated by Orban's government as proof of a policy shift under the Trump administration.

Human rights and democracy advocates warned the reversal rewarded an increasingly illiberal government and undercut U.S. credibility on anti-corruption and democracy promotion, fitting a broader pattern of warming ties between the Trump administration and right-wing nationalist leaders in Europe.