Xi Jinping calls on world powers to help Russia, Ukraine resume direct dialogue

Taipei, Taiwan — Chinese President Xi Jinping calls on world powers for help Russia and Ukraine resume direct dialogue at a meeting Monday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Orbn made a surprise visit to China after similar trips last week in Russia and Ukraine to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement of a war that has lasted more than two years. Hungary assumes rotating presidency of the European Union this month and Orbn has since embarked on a peace mission, which, however, It lacks the approval of other European leaders.

China is a key power in creating conditions for peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Orbn wrote on the social media platform X. That is why I came to meet President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest.

Orbn is widely considered to have the warmest relations with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin among European leaders. His visit to Moscow Last week, authorities in kyiv and the EU condemned the move, saying Orbn was not acting on behalf of the entire European bloc.

Their rebuke did not stop Orbn from extending a similar visit to Beijing, which he called Peace Mission 3.0 in a photo posted on X.

In his meeting with Xi Jinping, Mr. Orbn described China as a stabilizing force amid global turbulence and praised its constructive and important peace initiatives.

China is promoting its own six-point peace plan, which it presented with Brazil in May. Beijing claims to be neutral in the conflict, although in practice it supports Moscow with frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military exercises.

When welcoming Orbn, Xi Jinping called on Russia and Ukraine to cease fire and other major powers to create an environment conducive to negotiations. According to CCTV, only when all major powers project positive energy instead of negative energy can a ceasefire take place.

Orbn hosted the Chinese leader in 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 not a member of the EU or NATO.

During the trip, China upgraded its ties with Hungary to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, one of its highest designations in foreign relations that, apart from Hungary, only applies to Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela.

Hungary, under Orbn’s leadership, has forged substantial political and economic ties with China. The European nation is home to a number of Chinese electric vehicle battery factories, and in December it announced that Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing giant BYD would open its doors first European factory for the production of electric vehicles in the south of the country.

The Hungarian prime minister is widely opposed to Western military aid to Ukraine and has blocked, delayed or diluted The EU is working to help kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow for its invasion. Orbn has long advocated for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, but without specifying what that might mean for the country's territorial integrity or future security.

This stance has frustrated Hungary's allies in the EU and NATO, who have denounced the Russian invasion as a violation of international law and a threat to Eastern European security.

Last week, alongside Orbn in Moscow, Putin said Russia would not accept any ceasefire or temporary pause in hostilities that would allow Ukraine to recoup its losses, regroup and rearm.

Putin has reiterated his demand that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the four regions Moscow says it has annexed by 2022 as a condition for any peace talks. Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected the demand, suggesting it would amount to asking Kiev to withdraw from its own territory.

China, meanwhile, has expanded its influence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe in recent years, beyond its all-out partnership with Moscow. Over the weekend, China held counterterrorism military exercises with Belarus, a key Russian ally near the border with Poland. The drills followed last week’s. Belarus joins regional security organization led by China and Russia.

Orbn will then travel to Washington, DC, where NATO leaders are holding a summit to discuss ways to ensure Ukraine's continued support from the alliance.

Next stop: Washington, Orbn announced on his social media account Monday. It is unclear whether he will meet separately with President Joe Biden or Donald Trump, whose presidential candidacy Orbn has openly supported.

___

Associated Press writers Adam Schreck in Bangkok, Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.