CHINESE President Xi Jinping called on other world powers today to help Russia and Ukraine resume direct dialogue and negotiations.

The appeal came during a meeting with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose surprise visit to China followed similar trips to Russia and Ukraine last week to discuss prospects for a peace settlement.

Mr Orban praised China’s “constructive and important initiatives” for achieving peace and described Beijing as a stabilising force amid global turbulence, according to Chinese broadcaster CCTV.

Besides Russia and Ukraine, the end of the war “depends on the decision of three world powers, the United States, the European Union and China,” Mr Orban wrote in a Facebook post showing him shaking hands with President Xi.

Hungary hosts a number of Chinese electric vehicle battery facilities, and in December it announced that Chinese EV manufacturing giant BYD will open its first European EV production factory in the south of the country.

“Peace mission 3.0” is how the hard right Mr Orban captioned a picture posted early today on the X social media platform depicting him after having stepped off his plane in Beijing.

Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the EU at the start of July. However, several top EU officials have said that Mr Orban visits had no EU mandate and that they were purely a bilateral matters for Hungary with Russia and China.