- Xi, Putin condemns Israel’s attack on Iran, says the Kremlin.
- Both leaders say they support political, diplomatic solutions.
- The Chinese president calls on Israel to cease fire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both condemned Israel on Thursday over his strikes against Iran and agreed that shell was needed, the Kremlin said after the two leaders spoke by phone.
Putin and Xi “strongly condemn Israel’s actions that violate the UN -Charter and other norms in international law,” the Kremlin -helper Yuri Ushakov told journalists.
“Both Moscow and Beijing basically believe that there is no military solution to the current situation and questions related to Iran’s Nuclear Program.
“This solution should only be achieved through political and diplomatic means,” Ushakov said.
Without naming the United States, XI said during the call that “larger countries” with “special influence” in the region should intensify diplomatic efforts to cool down the situation, according to a reading from China’s official Xinhua news agency.
“The warring parties, especially Israel, had to cease fire as soon as possible to prevent an escalation cycle and resolutely avoid a waste of the war,” Xi said.
He also called on the efforts to protect civilians and urge Israel and Iran to facilitate the evacuation of citizens from other countries.
Russia has warned of disaster if the Israeli-Iran-Iran conflict, now in its seventh day, escalates further and has called on the United States not to participate in Israel’s bombing.
Putin has been in contact with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in recent days and has repeatedly said that Russia is ready to mediate between the warring sides.
So far, no one has taken up Russia’s offer.
On Thursday, Putin repeated this proposal in his phone call with XI, a close ally.
The Chinese leader expressed support for the idea, UShakov said, “as he thinks it could serve to step down the current acute situation.” The Chinese reading did not mention such support from XI.
The two men agreed to keep close contact in the coming days.
Beijing has long supported Tehran as part of the efforts to elaborate on his strategic and economic heft in the Middle East.
China, which extends an economic lifeline to Iran in the midst of US sanctions against Tehran, buys up to 90% of Iran’s export of crude oil, says analysts, in transformation, shopping off the coast of Malaysia.
