China's state-run media reported on Monday that President Xi Jinping has held talks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on his visit to China.

The leaders were ready for "in-depth communication on issues of mutual interest," China's foreign ministry says.

Orban posted a photo on social media on Monday morning that shows him talking with a woman believed to be China's vice foreign minister in front of an aircraft. It bears the hashtag Beijing.

The Hungarian leader is known for his pro-Russian stance. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv last Tuesday, and then Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

Hungary took over the European Union's rotating presidency at the beginning of July.

Orban has vowed to make efforts toward peace. But the Ukrainian government said his visit to Russia was made with no agreement or coordination with Kyiv.

Both China and Russia were absent from the international conference on peace in Ukraine held last month. Beijing has indicated that it will take its own stance on engaging with Ukraine.

Observers will be paying close attention to what Orban and Xi say about Ukraine in their meeting.