Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi condemn Israel over its Iran strikes during phone call

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 had strongly condemned “Israeli actions which violated the UN Charter and other norms of international law," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

He said there was a consensus that Israeli and Western concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme could not be solved militarily and that a diplomatic solution was needed.

Xi had told Putin he was in favour of Russian mediation efforts on Iran because he believed it could help de-escalate the situation, Ushakov said.

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