China and Hungary share views on conflict in Ukraine

During the meeting, Prime Minister Orban briefly informed about his recent visits to Ukraine and Russia. The Hungarian leader said that Budapest always wanted peace and that the military conflict in neighboring Ukraine that has been going on for more than two years has had a certain impact on the country. Prime Minister Orban stated that Hungary supports China's plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and highly appreciates Beijing's peace initiative. Previously, when he visited Beijing for a visit called "Peace Mission 3.0", he shared on social network X that China is a key power that contributes to creating conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that is why he went to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping just two months after the Chinese leader's official visit to Budapest.

For his part, the Chinese president also appreciated the Hungarian prime minister's efforts in promoting a political solution to the Ukraine crisis and detailed Beijing's views and proposals on the issue. Accordingly, the Chinese leader stressed that achieving a ceasefire and a political solution to the crisis as soon as possible would ensure the interests of all parties, noting that the top priority is to cool down the situation by adhering to three principles: not expanding the conflict area, not escalating the fighting and not "adding fuel to the fire". President Xi Jinping called on the international community to facilitate and support the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two sides, especially major countries that need to create positive momentum for an early ceasefire. He assessed that the basic proposals and approaches of Beijing and Budapest on this issue are similar, affirming that China is willing to stay in touch with Hungary and all relevant parties.

Before making the surprise visit to China, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban visited Moscow and Kiev last week. Hungary has also repeatedly expressed its support for the 12-point peace plan proposed by China on February 24, 2023, which calls for a cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks. Orban's visit comes a day before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is scheduled to hold a summit to mark its 75th anniversary, where the Ukraine conflict is expected to dominate discussions.