After announcing 'unexpected meetings,' Orbán's plane departs for China
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (photo: Getty Images)
After meetings in Kyiv, Moscow, and Azerbaijan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's plane took off for China. He is expected to arrive on Monday, July 8.
At the time of publishing the article, a Dassault Falcom 7X military-government plane was en route from Budapest to Beijing, as evidenced by radar tracking sites. Presumably, it is carrying Viktor Orbán.
The Hungarian government has not yet provided any information about this trip. Portal 444 contacted the press secretary and the press service of Orban's office and noted that they would provide details as soon as they received a response.
The journalists also noted that in recent days, Viktor Orbán visited Ukraine and held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and then traveled to Moscow, where he spoke with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for more than three hours. He then flew to Azerbaijan for an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States.
What is known about Hungary's "peace initiatives"
A few days earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced new "peaceful steps" toward Ukraine.
"Now everyone can be sure that the next six months will be a mission of peace to finally bring peace to our region," he said in a post announcing the first week of Hungary's presidency of the European Union.
Subsequently, Szijjártó posted a video in which he responded to criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for meeting with Vladimir Putin.
"These attacks do not deter or discourage us. The mission of peace continues and is even getting stronger, so I ask European politicians who support the war to fasten their seat belts and stay tuned for updates next week," the minister added.
In addition, the day before, Orbán announced "unexpected meetings" in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Die Weltwoche. The politician did not specify with whom he would meet. But on his social media account, he wrote that from July 8, he would continue his efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine.
"I held talks in Moscow with President Putin. My goal was to establish direct channels of communication, to start a dialogue on the fastest way to a peaceful settlement. I have fulfilled these tasks. The next step will be on Monday," Orbán said.
