Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 19, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GooglePutin and Xi condemn Israel's Iran strikes, urging political solutions. Russia offers mediation; China supports this approach.
ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call on Thursday during which both leaders condemned Israel for its strikes on Iran and agreed de-escalation was needed, the Kremlin said.
Both men "strongly condemn Israel's actions, which violate the U.N. Charter and other norms of international law," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
"Both Moscow and Beijing fundamentally believe that there is no military solution to the current situation and issues related to Iran's nuclear programme.
"This solution must be achieved exclusively through political and diplomatic means," said Ushakov.
Russia has warned of catastrophe should the Israel-Iran conflict, now in its seventh day, escalate further, and has urged the U.S. not to join Israel's bombardment.
Putin has been in touch with U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in recent days and has repeatedly said Russia stands ready to mediate between the warring sides.
Thus far, no one has taken up Russia's offer.
On Thursday, Putin reiterated that proposition in his phone call with Xi, a close ally.
The Chinese leader expressed support for the idea, Ushakov said, "as he believes it could serve to de-escalate the current acute situation."
The two men agreed to keep in close contact in the coming days.
(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Lucy PapachristouEditing by Andrew Osborn)
Putin and Xi discussed condemning Israel for its strikes on Iran and emphasized the need for political and diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
Russia warned of a potential catastrophe if the Israel-Iran conflict escalates further and urged the U.S. not to join Israel's bombardment.
Both Moscow and Beijing believe there is no military solution to the issues related to Iran's nuclear program and advocate for a diplomatic approach.
Xi Jinping expressed support for Putin's proposition, believing it could help de-escalate the current acute situation.
Putin and Xi agreed to maintain close contact in the coming days to address the ongoing situation.
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