Hungary's Orban arrives in China on Ukraine peace mission
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives in China's capital Beijing on what he described as a "Peace Mission 3.0," after visiting Kiev and Moscow.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on July 5, 2024. (AP)
On Monday, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Beijing after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a potential Ukrainian peace deal, which angered some EU leaders.
Orban wrote on his X account that he was on a "Peace Mission 3.0".
Peace mission 3.0 #Beijing pic.twitter.com/DZZFv4qAEH
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 7, 2024
During his visit, he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing.
"Prime Minister Viktor Orban's peace mission continues," Bertalan Havasi, Orban's press chief, told Hungarian state news agency MTI.
#China is a key power in creating the conditions for #peace in the #RussiaUkraineWar. This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest. #HU24EU #peacemission pic.twitter.com/6UcFkb4ynQ
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 8, 2024
Meeting with Zelensky, Putin
His visit to China comes after his recent visit to Kiev, where he held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and also went to the Kremlin on a visit condemned by his allies.
Following his meeting with the Russian president, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on her X account: "Appeasement will not stop Putin."
Orban's visit also comes days ahead of a NATO summit that is expected to address further aid to Ukraine, as the European Commission is set to impose tariffs of up to 37.6% on imports of electric vehicles made in China.
On that note, earlier last month, the Bucharest Nine, a club of Eastern European and Baltic NATO nations, was contemplating kicking out Hungary for refusing to agree on the same policies toward Ukraine, the Financial Times said, citing sources.
Founded in 2015, the club includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and a gathering of its leaders is scheduled to take place in Riga, Latvia, on Tuesday.
Hungary's refusal to support joint statements for sending military aid to Ukraine against Russia is the reason why the group is considering this option, insider sources told the Financial Times.
