Zelenskyy rejects Orban's mediation in Ukraine-Russia conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban could not mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end the 28-month war, a task he said could only be undertaken by world powers such as China, the US or EU.

Orban visited Kiev and Moscow for talks last week and met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, describing his unexpected trip to Beijing as the third leg of a "peace mission".

As world leaders prepare to head to a NATO summit which starts on Tuesday in Washington, Zelenskyy said only powerful economies or countries with armed forces much stronger than Russia's could manage the task of mediation.

"Are there many such countries around the world? Not many. I believe the US, and China are such countries. And the EU, not one country, but the whole EU. This could really be an intermediary mission," he told a news conference during a visit to neighbouring Poland.

Ukrainian vision

Zelenskyy said Orban's negotiations with Putin, which led to a rebuke within the European Union, had not been coordinated with Kiev.

"Even if (Putin) meets with a particular state, this does not mean he wants to end the war," he said.

Kiev remains open to proposals from other countries on how to shape the path to peace, but they should align with the Ukrainian vision, in particular a 10-point peace plan, Zelenskyy added.

Ukraine hopes to hold a second international summit to consider its proposals for peace later this year.

China, which has close ties to Moscow, did not attend the first meeting in June.

It has been promoting a six-point peace plan it issued with Brazil in May, proposing an international peace conference "at a proper time" and calling for equal participation by both Ukraine and Russia.