President Xi Jinping meets with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn)
President Xi Jinping said on Monday that an early ceasefire and the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis are in the interests of all parties, and he urged the international community to create conditions for direct dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Xi made the remarks during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing.
Orban arrived in the Chinese capital earlier Monday morning. "Peace mission 3.0" is how Orban captioned a picture posted early Monday on the X social media platform depicting him after having stepped off his plane in Beijing.
Orban's visit comes following his trip to Moscow and Kyiv, where he proposed that Ukraine consider agreeing to an immediate ceasefire with Russia.
During the meeting, both leaders engaged in in-depth discussions on the Ukraine crisis. Orban briefed on the recent visits to Ukraine and Russia. Xi commended him for his efforts in promoting a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis and outlined China's views and propositions on the crisis.
President Xi Jinping meets with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Beijing on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn)
Xi said that currently, priority should be given to adhering to the three principles of "no spillover from the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no adding oil to the fire by relevant parties" in order to quickly cool down the situation.
He underlined the need for the international community to provide assistance for direct dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. "Only when all major powers exert positive rather than negative influence can a glimmer of ceasefire emerge in this conflict at the earliest date," he said.
Xi said that China has been actively advocating for peace and promoting dialogue in its own way, encouraging and supporting all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
Noting the basic principles and efforts of China and Hungary are aligned, Xi said that China is willing to continue communication with Hungary and relevant parties.
Following the meeting, Orban posted on the X platform that China is a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"This is why I came to meet with President Xi in Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest."