BLOCK PUTIN Act

Key Points

• The bill would impose financial sanctions and travel bans on senior Hungarian government officials who block aid to Ukraine or continue facilitating Russian oil and gas imports. Penalties include freezing U.S.-based assets and revoking visas.
• The bill responds to Hungary's increasing dependence on Russian energy at a time when most of Europe has dramatically reduced its own. Congress finds that Hungary has provided roughly $6.7 billion in crude oil revenue to Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
• The bill requires the Treasury and State Departments to submit a report within 30 days explaining any U.S. government actions that helped Hungary continue buying Russian oil and gas, including any special licenses or comfort letters issued since October 2025.
• Hungary can avoid sanctions by formally adopting a plan to end its Russian energy dependence by 2028 and by ceasing to block international aid to Ukraine for at least 180 continuous days.
• The bill is bipartisan, introduced by Shaheen and Tillis, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. It includes a presidential waiver allowing sanctions to be suspended for up to 180 days if vital to national security.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.