Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Monday for “creating conditions” for “direct dialogue” between warring Ukraine and Russia, during a meeting in Beijing with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
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His surprise stay in the Chinese capital comes after a controversial visit to Moscow on Friday, where the Hungarian leader spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine.
Mr Orban, whose country holds the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union, has angered Budapest’s European partners, who show unwavering support for Kyiv and have severed ties with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Viktor Orban is the only EU leader who has remained close to the Kremlin.
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the Hungarian president, who called for “creating conditions” for “direct dialogue” between warring Ukraine and Russia, according to comments carried by state television.
Xi stressed that “only when the major powers show positive energy, instead of negative energy, will this conflict see a glimmer of hope for a ceasefire, as soon as possible.”
The Chinese leader added that China and Hungary “share” basically the same ideas.
Beijing and Budapest are calling for a peaceful settlement of the conflict and maintaining exchanges with the Kremlin.
“Peace Mission”
The two men already had the opportunity to speak privately in May during Xi Jinping's state visit to Hungary.
On the occasion, the Chinese president praised the exemplary “strategic partnership” in the European Union, calling on Hungary to play a “more important role” in “developing” relations between Beijing and Brussels.
This visit to Beijing, according to Mr. Orban, is “Peace Mission 3.0,” he wrote on the social network X.
Before Beijing and Moscow, on July 2, he made a trip to Kyiv, his first since the war in Ukraine, to meet with its president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Orban had called for a “ceasefire”, which contradicts the positions of the Ukrainians and their European allies.
The Ukrainian leader rejected the idea, believing that Moscow would use it to strengthen itself.
The Ukrainian draft calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from the country, including from Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and the payment of compensation for damage caused by the invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine is in dire need of Western help to resist Russia. Washington, its main backer, has announced an additional $2.3 billion in coming funds, particularly for anti-aircraft defense systems.
The Hungarian prime minister has been vocal in his opposition to such aid. At the beginning of the year, he vetoed a €50 billion package from the EU, which was eventually approved late.
