Xi wants "positive energy" from major powers
Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán is on a self-proclaimed "Peace Mission," today he is in Beijing. China's President Xi Jinping expressed rather vague ideas about how Russia's attack war against Ukraine could be brought to an end.
China's President Xi Jinping has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine followed by negotiations. This would serve the interests of all parties involved, Xi said according to state media during a meeting with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The situation in Ukraine must be de-escalated as much as possible.
The international community must create the conditions for Russia and Ukraine to engage in direct dialogue. Only if all major powers inject positive instead of negative energy into the conflict, can there be a ceasefire in the conflict as soon as possible, Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state media. He did not specify exactly how this should be done or which actors would be instrumental in this process.
Orbán informed Xi about his past visits to Russia and Ukraine, reported China's official news agency Xinhua. The Chinese leader valued Orbán's efforts to resolve the "Ukraine Crisis." China has advocated for peace talks on its own and supported all efforts towards peaceful resolution in the crisis, Xi reportedly said.
Orban flies directly to the USA
Orbán surprised everyone by arriving in Beijing unexpectedly on Monday. He had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow the previous week and also visited Kiev. Hungary has held the EU presidency since July 1. Leading EU representatives have repeatedly stressed that Orbán does not represent the European Union during his travels.
The Hungarian Prime Minister himself speaks of being on a "Peace Mission." Under Orbán's right-wing government, Hungary has become an important trading and investment partner for China. This stands in contrast to other EU countries, which aim for a lesser dependence on the second largest world economy.
Orbán's visit to Beijing takes place just before the NATO summit in Washington, where it is planned to discuss further military aid for Ukraine from Tuesday to Thursday. Hungary is also part of the transatlantic alliance, Orbán wanted to travel to the US capital after his visit to China.
Hungary has repeatedly blocked support for Ukraine on the EU level. Orbán maintains close relations with Putin. He acknowledged that he had no EU mandate for his mediation efforts. However, he stressed that peace cannot be made "from a comfortable chair in Brussels."
- During his meeting with Xi Jinping, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shared his past interactions with both Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's leadership.
- In response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Xi Jinping expressed support for China advocating for peace talks and backing all initiatives towards a peaceful resolution, mentioning Orbán's efforts as commendable.
- Amidst the upcoming NATO summit in Washington where military aid for Ukraine is set to be discussed, Orbán embarked on a visit to Beijing, citing his role as a "Peace Mission" advocate, despite criticisms from EU representatives about his representational capacity.
