Russia and China called for a lasting settlement to Moscow’s war on Ukraine in a joint statement issued after talks on Wednesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
“The sides support all efforts that contribute to the establishment of a long-term and lasting peace,” one of two key summit documents said, adding that a solution should be found through negotiations and dialogue.
The statement did not include a Chinese call for Russia to end the full-scale war it launched in February 2022. Instead, the text saw Russia commend Beijing’s "objective and unbiased stance" regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
The document also repeated a phrase frequently used by Moscow referring to elimination of "the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis," which Russia says include Kiev's ambition to join NATO.
Putin and Xi also agreed to deepen military cooperation, including expanding joint military exercises as well as air and naval patrols. They also pledged to jointly respond to “various challenges and threats.”
Russia further reaffirmed its support for China’s position that the democratic, self-governing island of Taiwan is part of China.
Criticism of attacks on Iran
In the same joint statement, Moscow and Beijing also called for negotiations to resolve the conflict in the Middle East and criticized US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
"US and Israeli military strikes on Iran violate international law and the basic norms of international relations, significantly undermining stability in the Middle East," the statement said.
