Orban’s trip to China comes a day before NATO is due to hold a summit to mark its 75th anniversary, with setbacks in Ukraine set to dominate discussions. It follows surprise visits by the Hungarian premier to Russia and Ukraine in the past week.
Xi was quoted as saying the international community should create conditions and provide assistance for the two sides to resume direct dialogue and negotiations.
Following the talks, Orban wrote on social media platform X that China was a key power in creating the conditions for peace in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Orban, the friendliest EU leader towards Moscow, held talks with President Vladimir Putin on Friday about the war in Ukraine during a trip criticised by both Kyiv and the EU, which said it threatened to undermine the bloc’s stance on the conflict.
Putin told Orban that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from regions that Moscow has annexed if it wants peace.
Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency at the start of July, and the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Orban’s trip to Russia was purely a bilateral affair and he has not received any mandate from the EU Council to visit Moscow.
Close to both Xi and the Kremlin, Orban has refused to send weapons to Kyiv, unlike his fellow EU leaders. China and Russia’s strategic partnership has grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.
Beijing presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
It has however offered a critical lifeline to Russia’s isolated economy, with trade booming since the conflict began.