Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that he has arrived in Beijing on a "peace mission," following a controversial stop in Moscow. Orban wrote on the X platform "Peace Mission 3.0" without providing further details, accompanying his post with a picture of himself at the airport where he was welcomed by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the Hungarian leader, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, will meet President Xi Jinping on Monday to discuss "issues of mutual interest."
Vladimir Putin hosted Orban— the EU leader who is closest to Moscow— for talks at the Kremlin, which the Russian president described as "beneficial and candid" regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Putin stated, "We discussed possible ways to resolve" the conflict in Ukraine, reiterating his demand for Ukraine to withdraw all its forces from the regions that Moscow has claimed to have annexed.
The visit came days after Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the EU, and Putin informed Orban that he expects him to define "the position of European partners" regarding Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian government criticized the meeting, affirming that it had no involvement in it. EU leaders have also criticized Orban, who assumed the rotating presidency last week, due to his meeting with a leader wanted on war crimes charges.
Orban's visit to Moscow followed a surprise trip to Kyiv, where he urged the Ukrainian leadership to work towards a swift ceasefire with Russia. The Hungarian leader emphasized on Friday that peace cannot be achieved without dialogue.
