Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have called for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, following a call between the leaders.
The presidents showed a united front in their response to the escalating crisis on Thursday, after their shared geopolitical rival, the United States, indicated it had not ruled out joining Israel’s strikes on Iran.
During the call, Xi called for “major powers” to help cool the conflict, in a thinly veiled reference to Washington. Russia, which has a strategic cooperation pact with Tehran, says it has been urging the US not to strike Iran, warning it would dramatically destabilise the region and risk a nuclear disaster.
Following the call, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Putin and Xi “strongly condemn Israel’s actions, which violate the UN Charter and other norms of international law”, news agencies reported.
Both leaders “fundamentally believe that there is no military solution to the current situation and issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme”, he said, adding that a solution “must be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means”.
Putin has presented his country as a potential mediator in the conflict over Iran’s nuclear programme, but so far he has not been taken up on his offer.
Ushakov said that during the call, Putin reiterated his suggestion of mediating in the dispute, and Xi expressed his support, “as he believes it could serve to de-escalate the current acute situation”.
Chinese state media reported that, during the call, Xi had called for all parties, “especially Israel”, to “cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war”.
He added that “major countries” with “special influence” in the region should step up their diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, Chinese state media reported, in an apparent reference to the US.
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