Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on world powers to facilitate direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine during his meeting with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing. Orban, who described his visit as a “peace mission,” had previously traveled to Russia and Ukraine to explore potential peaceful resolutions to the conflict, now in its third year.
Hungary recently assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union, and Orban has since embarked on this peace mission, despite lacking endorsement from other European nations. “China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war,” Orban wrote on the social media platform X, explaining his visit to Beijing just two months after President Xi’s official visit to Budapest.
Orban is known for his close ties with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has drawn criticism from Ukraine and EU officials, especially following his visit to Moscow last week. These officials emphasized that Orban was not representing the entire European bloc.
Despite this criticism, Orban proceeded with his visit to Beijing, dubbing it “Peace mission 3.0” on social media. During their meeting, Xi urged Russia and Ukraine to cease fire and called on major powers to foster an environment conducive to talks. According to state broadcaster CCTV, Xi emphasized that a ceasefire could only be achieved when all major powers contribute “positive energy rather than negative energy.”
“It is in the interests of all parties to seek a political solution through an early ceasefire,” Xi added.
