Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has visited Russia and then China following a series of public exchanges with Ukraine, meeting President Xi Jinping in Beijing and Russian President Vladimir Putin at his Valdai residence.
Lukashenko told Xi that coming to China was for him "like coming home," Belarusian journalists accompanying the delegation reported on Monday.
Xi said China supported Belarus in preserving its state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, according to statements from the Chinese side.
China and Belarus must maintain their strategic dialogue and continue to develop bilateral relations at a high level, Xi said.
Lukashenko had previously spent two days in talks with Putin at the Russian president's residence in Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg.
The visit, which was initially not publicly announced, was accompanied by widespread speculation given the recent history of tensions with Kiev.
Ukraine's leadership believes Russia wants to pressure its ally Belarus into more direct involvement in the war - something Lukashenko is seeking to avoid, even though he allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an ultimatum to Lukashenko, demanding that Belarus switch off signal boosters on its territory that help Russian drones navigate. Belarus had done so, Zelensky later said.
Lukashenko acknowledged in an interview with television channel Al Arabiya that his country was vulnerable in the event of Ukrainian drone strikes. He also apologized to Zelensky if he had ever struck the wrong tone towards him.
Only Putin spoke publicly about the Valdai meeting afterwards. He said Lukashenko could not be panicked by "crude interjections" such as those from Kiev, the Russian president told Russian state television.
Putin praised the role of Belarus as a mediator. "I am sure that when talks do come, we can make use of the Belarusian potential," he said.
Chinese statements on Lukashenko's visit emphasized above all the independence of Belarus, a message that can be read as a signal directed at both Moscow and Kiev.
Xi said China was ready to be a stabilizing force in a turbulent world, together with Belarus.
Beijing is a close ally of Moscow but views critically the fact that Russia's war against Ukraine is causing serious international disruption.
