Orbán meets with Xi Jinping to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has arrived on an unexpected visit to Beijing,has  held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

"China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war (Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – ed.) This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest," Orbán said on Twitter (Х).

The Xinhua News Agency only reported on the fact that Orbán had met with the Chinese leader. Russian media stated that during the meeting, Orbán had expressed Hungary's high appreciation for China's "peaceful" initiative regarding Ukraine. "In the context of a conflict (Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – ed.) that is taking place next to Hungary, we also highly value your (China's) peace initiative," Orbán said.

CNN notes that Orbán's visit to Beijing and his stops in Russia and Ukraine last week took place just a week after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union – a position viewed with scepticism by many leaders of the bloc, where Orbán is considered an "illiberal outlier." 

This also comes amid ongoing concerns and deep disagreements about how and when the war in Ukraine will be resolved, nearly two and a half years after the Russian invasion.

On Sunday, after his trip to see Putin, Orbán promised more "surprise meetings".

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin hosted Orbán in the Kremlin on 5 July to conduct negotiations and discuss Ukraine, among other things. He started the meeting by mentioning an ultimatum for Kyiv.

The Hungarian PM said that after his visits to Moscow and Kyiv, he realised that the positions of both sides regarding the war of aggression unleashed by Russia "are very far apart".