“China is a key force in creating peaceful situations in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Orbán wrote on the social network X. “That’s why I came here to meet President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest. .
United States envoy lashes out at China, says Beijing is a “confident government” in a rare move
Orbán is widely believed to have the warmest relations with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin among European leaders. His stopover in Moscow last week drew condemnation from Kiev and European officials, who insisted Orbán was not acting on behalf of the entire European bloc.
In this photo published via Xinhua News Agency, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before an assembly at the Diaoyutai state guest space in Beijing, July 8, 2024. Xi called on world powers to help Russia and Ukraine. resume direct discussion in an assembly on Monday. (Li Xueren/Xinhua AP)
His reproaches did not deter Orbán from extending a similar initiative to Beijing, which he described as “Peace Mission 3. 0” in a photograph published in X.
During his meeting with Xi, Orbán described China as a stabilizing force amid the turmoil and praised its “constructive and important” peace initiatives.
China is selling its own six-point peace plan, which it presented with Brazil in May. Beijing claims to be impartial in the conflict, in practice supporting Moscow through common state visits, industry development and joint military exercises.
Welcoming Orbán, Xi called on Russia and Ukraine for a ceasefire and for other primary powers to create a conducive environment for talks. Only when all primary powers allocate “positive energy and not negative energy” can a ceasefire take place, Xi said, according to CCTV.
Orbán welcomed the Chinese leader to Hungary just two months ago as part of a three-country European tour that also included stops in France and Serbia, which, unlike the other two, is a member of the EU or NATO.
In this photo published through the Xinhua news agency, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, from left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a bilateral assembly at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, July 8, 2024. (Ding Lin/Xinhua via AP)
During the trip, China increased its ties with Hungary into an “ironclad comprehensive strategic partnership,” one of its highest foreign relations designations, which, even so, Hungary, applies only to Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela.
Hungary Orbán has forged extensive political and economic ties with China. The European country is home to a number of Chinese EV battery facilities and it announced in December that Chinese EV production giant BYD would open its first European EV production plant in the south. from the country.
The Hungarian prime minister is widely opposed to Western military aid to Ukraine and has blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to reach out to Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow over its invasion. Orbán has long advocated a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, but without specifying what this might mean for the country’s territorial integrity or long-term security.
This stance has frustrated Hungary’s allies in the EU and NATO, who have denounced Russia’s invasion as a violation of the law and a security risk to Eastern Europe.
Flanking Orbán last week in Moscow, Putin said Russia would accept any ceasefire or temporary cessation of hostilities that would allow Ukraine to “recover its losses, regroup and regroup. ” rearm”.
Putin reiterated his call for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the 4 regions Moscow says it annexed in 2022 as a condition for any potential peace talks. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected the call, suggesting it amounts to asking Kyiv to withdraw from its own territory.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 5, 2024 (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File).
Meanwhile, China has expanded its influence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe in recent years beyond its “unfettered” partnership with Moscow. Over the weekend, China conducted “anti-terrorist” military exercises with Belarus – a key best friend of Russia – near the border with Poland. The trainings came after Belarus joined a regional security organization led by China and Russia last week.
Orbán will then travel to Washington, D. C. , where NATO leaders are holding a summit to discuss tactics to ensure Ukraine has the alliance’s continued support.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Next step: Washington,” Orbán posted on his social media account on Monday. It was unclear whether he would meet with President Joe Biden or Donald Trump, whose presidential candidacy Orbán unabashedly supports.
Fox News’ Exposed Anti-Semitism newsletter brings you stories about anti-Jewish prejudice in the United States and around the world.