Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban¡¯s recent trips to Moscow and Beijing had one thing in common: They blindsided his country¡¯s Western allies.

European Union and NATO partners woke up on Monday to learn that Orban had paid a visit to President Xi Jinping in China. That followed a surprise meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, which caught out countries working to present a united front on Ukraine.

EU leaders sought to distance themselves from Orban¡¯s visit to Moscow and underscored that he wasn¡¯t representing the bloc when he said he was working to open up lines of communication to bring peace to Ukraine.