BEIJING (AP) 鈥� Chinese President Xi Jinping called on world powers to help Russia and Ukraine resume direct dialogue and negotiations during a meeting Monday with Hungary鈥檚 Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Orb谩n made a surprise visit to China after similar trips last week to Russia and Ukraine to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Orb谩n praised China鈥檚 鈥渃onstructive and important initiatives鈥� for achieving peace and described Beijing as a stabilizing force amid global turbulence, according to CCTV.
Besides Russia and Ukraine, the end of the war 鈥渄epends on the decision of three world powers, the United States, the European Union and China,鈥� Orb谩n wrote in a Facebook post showing him shaking hands with Xi.
when he hosted the Chinese leader in Hungary as part of a three-country European tour that also included stops in France and Serbia, which unlike the other two is not a member of the European Union or NATO.
Hungary under Orb谩n has built substantial political and economic ties with China. The European nation hosts a number of Chinese electric vehicle battery facilities, and in December it announced that Chinese EV manufacturing giant BYD will open its in the south of the country.
鈥淧eace mission 3.0鈥� is how Orb谩n captioned a picture posted early Monday on the X social media platform depicting him after having stepped off his plane in Beijing. He was being greeted by Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying and other officials.
His previously unannounced visit comes on the heels of similar trips last week to Moscow and Kyiv, where he proposed that Ukraine consider agreeing to an immediate cease-fire with Russia.
His visit to Moscow drew condemnation from Kyiv and European leaders.
鈥淭he number of countries that can talk to both warring sides is diminishing,鈥� Orb谩n said. 鈥淗ungary is slowly becoming the only country in Europe that can speak to everyone.鈥�
Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the EU at the start of July and Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Orb谩n had come to Moscow as a top representative of the European Council. Several top European officials dismissed that suggestion and said Orb谩n had no mandate for anything beyond a discussion about bilateral relations.
The Hungarian prime minister, widely seen as having the warmest relations with , has routinely EU efforts to assist Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. He has long argued for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine but without outlining what that might mean for the country鈥檚 territorial integrity or future security.
That posture has frustrated Hungary鈥檚 EU and NATO allies, who have denounced Russia鈥檚 actions as a breach of international law and a threat to the security of countries in Eastern Europe.
The Associated Press
