A plane commonly used by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for international visits is currently over Russian airspace and is set to land in China on the morning of July 8th.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has already visited Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan, and is now en route to China. According to the Hungarian news outlet 444.hu, Orban will arrive in the People’s Republic of China at dawn on Monday, July 8th.

The Hungarian government has yet to provide any details about the journey. Journalists have sought comments from his spokesperson Bertalan Havasi and the Prime Minister's press office but have received no response so far.

As of the publication of the Hungarian media report, a Dassault Falcon 7X military-government aircraft was en route from Budapest to Beijing, as tracked by journalists via flight radar websites.

In recent days, Viktor Orban has visited Ukraine where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, followed by an unannounced visit to Moscow where he had over three hours of discussions with Vladimir Putin.

He then flew to Azerbaijan for an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States. During the flight, he told a Swiss newspaper that his trip to Moscow was organized secretly, revealing that his visit became known through an airspace usage permit application in Poland, and hinted that “new surprises concerning his schedule” could be expected as early as Monday.

Viktor Orban assumed the EU presidency for six months from July 1st. The extent to which he negotiates on behalf of and with the authority of the EU is questionable: both Orban and Putin stated in their announcements that he is engaged in negotiations, whereas, according to Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, this is not the case, journalists from 444.hu noted.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was scheduled to visit Budapest on Monday, but Hungary canceled the meeting on Friday, the same day Viktor Orban unexpectedly flew to Moscow.

In response, the German Foreign Ministry stated, "To our surprise, the Hungarian side canceled the meeting between Foreign Minister Szijjarto and Baerbock in Budapest, scheduled for Monday, at the last moment on Friday evening. The trip will need to be rescheduled."

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the importance of the Szijjarto-Baerbock meeting.

The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that there were changes in Peter Szijjarto’s schedule, prompting a request to reschedule the meeting to a later date.

Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, Peter Szijjarto issued a statement saying that he had received the founding president of CATL, the world’s largest electric battery manufacturer, Robin Zeng, and that "Hungary is doing everything to avoid a trade war between the EU and China." According to an official release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "During its steadfast EU presidency, Hungary will do everything to prevent a trade war with China, as it would cause significant damage to the continent." Szijjarto also added that "the global automobile industry is undergoing a major technological revolution, in which the Chinese company is one of the most decisive players."

It is worth mentioning that during his stay in Russia, Orban wrote that "the peace mission continues," and referred to Moscow as the 'second stop.'

It was also reported that Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban discussed the Russia-Ukraine war. According to Orban, "Western sponsors" allegedly use Ukraine as a "battering ram."

  Orban, Hungary, China

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