BEIJING, July 8: Chinese President Xi Jinping told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday that world powers should help Russia and Ukraine re-start direct negotiations during a visit to Beijing branded a "peace mission" by the European leader.
Orbans trip to China comes a day before NATO is due to hold a summit to mark its 75th anniversary, with setbacks in Ukraine expected to dominate discussions, and follows surprise visits by the Hungarian premier to Russia and Ukraine in the past week.
Orbans trip to Moscow sparked criticism from the European Union, which said it threatened to undermine the blocs stance on the conflict, while Kyivs foreign ministry said the visit was made "without any agreement or coordination with Ukraine".
China has refused to condemn Russias invasion of its neighbour and last year released a paper calling for a "political settlement" to the conflict, which Western countries said could enable Russia to retain much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying the "international community should create conditions and provide assistance for the two sides to resume direct dialogue and negotiations". —AFP
