WASHINGTON — The United States is lifting sanctions on Antal Rogan, a key aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the State Department announced Tuesday (April 15). Officials stated the sanctions no longer aligned with current U.S. foreign policy priorities. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto of the decision during a phone conversation, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Rubio said Rogan would be removed from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

Bruce added that both countries also discussed ways to deepen U.S.-Hungary cooperation on major global matters and economic partnerships. Orban and his Fidesz party have been among former President Donald Trump’s strongest allies in Europe. The Biden administration had imposed sanctions on Rogan on January 7 for alleged corruption, which Hungary vowed to contest after Trump’s return to office on January 20.

Rogan, who has served as Orban’s cabinet office head since 2015, has long been accused of using his influence to funnel public contracts and resources to loyalists within the Fidesz party, according to a January statement from the U.S. Treasury Department under President Biden. Corruption allegations have followed Orban since he assumed power in 2010, and U.S.-Hungary relations became increasingly tense under Biden’s administration, partly due to Hungary’s close relationship with Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Orban has consistently denied any involvement in corruption, while Rogan has played a key role in running the government’s communications and election strategies for years.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.