Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban makes a surprise visit to Xi Jinping in Beijing after meeting with Putin in Moscow last week. European leaders are skeptical of this meeting where the two leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Orban, an outlier in the European Union as his views contradicts other European leaders, issues like European Union’s support for Ukraine and in Russia-Ukraine conflict and their close ties with the United States. He has always been opposed to western military aid to Ukraine as well as averse to imposing sanctions on Russia.
Recently, Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union for six months. Since then he has set out on a peace mission, which evidently lacks support from other European leaders.
Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban makes surprise visit to China
In China, he discussed with President Xi Jinping the prospects of peaceful settlement along the border of Russia and Ukraine. Since the war has been going on for more than two years, it has taken a toll on both sides therefore it must be stopped. He believes China is a key power necessary for this peaceful settlement. President Xi has expressed appreciation for his efforts and called on world powers to encourage direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Hungary’s PM uploaded a picture on X when he reached Beijing, captioned “Peace mission 3.0”. He considers China as a balancing force amidst conflicts and unrest around the globe.
China says it is neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though in practice have clearly supported Russia through subsidized oil trade which majorly let Russia escape from the western sanctions. They have also conducted joint military drills and repeated state visits.
Surprise visit to Russia
Viktor Orban visit to Moscow last week sparked controversy and stunned many as none of the European leaders have visited Russia for official talks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. EU officials and Ukraine condemned his action and argued that Orban does not represent the mandate of the whole of the EU. It also implies the increasing divisions within the EU over its stance on war in Ukraine.
Before proceeding to meet Putin in Moscow, Orban met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. A move to break-off his isolation from Ukraine. His visits to Ukraine, Russia and then China were not announced in advance.
NATO Summit in three-days
These meetings are coming prior to the NATO Summit (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) hosted in Washington. The summit will largely focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine and will likely forward more support to Ukraine, in their war of independence against Russia. Despite Ukraine not being an official member of NATO. Other agendas on the table majorly focus on threats posed by China in the Indo-Pacific and South China sea.
China’s increasing clout
The West is preoccupied with war in Ukraine and Gaza, meanwhile China has been increasing its clout in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The China-Russia shares “no limits” partnership. Belarus shares close ties with Russia and recently joined Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security organization that is majorly led by China and Russia.
Viktor Orban hosted President Xi Jinping only two months ago, in which China upgraded its ties with Hungary to its highest. And made it an “all weather, comprehensive strategic partnership”, along with Hungary, China extended this partnership only to Belarus, Pakistan and Venezuela.
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