2024 Visits By Viktor Orbán To Russia And China

In July 2024, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán announced that he would undergo several uncoordinated meetings that he referred to as " peace missions", visiting President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv before traveling to Moscow to meet with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, followed by him visiting Beijing to meet with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, then traveling to the United States to attend the 2024 Washington summit and to meet President of the United States Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The meetings notably took place amidst heightened tensions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with China increasing diplomatic ties to Russia in the midst of economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States.

The visit to Russia was notable in geopolitical history for being conducted without any official approval or mandate from European Union governance despite Vladimir Putin claiming that Orbán was a representative of the European Union. This led to condemnation from several EU national leaders and Ukraine's government, with many dubbing the meetings "appeasement" towards Russia's aggressive, expansionist policies in Ukraine and China's partnership with Russia allowing their military to continue the way despite international sanctions. It also caused concern among European Union leaders that Orbán was attempting to co-opt his position in the presidency of the Council of the European Union and speak on its behalf to achieve personal goals at odds with the policies and values of the bloc.

Background

The sequence of visits came about as Hungary assumed the six-month long rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July, where Orbán expressed his intention to leverage the position to undergo a "peace mission" to push for ending the Russo-Ukrainian war. The last visit by an EU leader occurred in April 2022 with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The meeting between Orbán and Putin also followed a previous encounter in Beijing in October 2023 discussing possible cooperation on energy. Orbán's government is notable for regularly blocking and delaying the EU's efforts to grant financial and military aid to Ukraine and to impose sanctions on Russia. Orbán was frequently critical of NATO and EU support of Ukraine, previously delaying agreement on a substantial EU aid package intended to provide Ukraine with military assistance in its defense against Russia. He has argued that Russia's superior resources and manpower would make it unbeatable on the battlefield, a position poorly received by Ukrainians and EU governments, due to their fear that a ceasefire would only solidify Russia's hold over its seized territories. The Hungarian government opposed Ukraine's bids to join NATO and the EU, complicating their otherwise unified response to the war.

Prior meeting with Ukraine

On July 2, Viktor Orbán traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine to meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a joint press conference, Orbán proposed a ceasefire to the Russo-Ukrainian War, with a deadline prior to the next Kyiv peace summit, as a means to accelerate peace talks. Ihor Zhovkva, Zelenskyy's foreign policy adviser, stated that Zelenskyy's response reiterated his public stance towards peace, emphasizing Ukraine's peace summit initiative to construct a global coalition to push for peace while maintaining Ukraine's sovereignty. Orbán showed gratitude for Zelenskyy's honest and direct responses. Zelenskyy discussed the potential for a detailed bilateral cooperation agreement between Ukraine and Hungary, which Orbán welcomed. Orbán expressed willingness to have Hungary help modernize Ukraine's economy despite strained diplomatic relations. Zelenskyy stated that he was grateful for Orbán's visit, but emphasized the need for "just peace" before any ceasefire proposal. Zelenskyy called on Orbán to cooperate with its allies to push for Kyiv's requirements for peace.

Meetings

Russia

The meeting between Orbán and Putin took place in Moscow, Russia on July 5, and lasted for several hours. The meeting was not disclosed to any EU members until immediately before it began. Orbán sought Putin's views on whether a ceasefire could precede peace talks. In response, Putin dismissed the idea of a ceasefire, stating that it would allow Ukraine “to recoup losses, regroup and rearm.” Putin insisted that Ukraine should withdraw its forces from the four oblasts (provinces) Russia claimed annexation of in 2022 (including territory Russia did not occupy), but this withdrawal was rejected by Ukraine.

Putin stated that the pair discussed Russia–European Union relations and how they were “now at their lowest point”. Orbán stated that he asked Putin three questions: his opinions on current peace plans, his thoughts on potential talks for peace and ceasefire proposals, and his thoughts on "post-war European security architecture". Orbán did not give any details on how Putin responded to these questions.

During a press conference following the meeting, Putin referred to Orbán as "a representative of the European Council" rather than just as a representative to Hungary, and described the talks as "frank and useful". He reiterated Moscow's stance that its own peace proposals should be central to any negotiations. Putin also expressed gratitude to Orbán for attempting to restore diplomacy between Russia and Europe, and claimed that Kyiv remained unwilling to cease hostilities.

Prime Minister Orbán acknowledged that "many steps" would be required to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and stressed that while the meeting was the first step toward dialogue, significant differences remained between the positions of Kyiv and Moscow. He further acknowledged the burden the conflict placed on Europe's security and economy, advocating for dialogue and diplomacy as the only solutions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

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