In telephone call, Putin and Xi condemn Israeli strikes on Iran; discuss G7 Summit flaws

Moscow [Russia]/ Beijing [China], June 20 (ANI) Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have condemened Israeli strikes against Iran urging both sides to pursue diplomatic means and put an immediate end to hostilites.
Escalating tensions between Iran and Israel topped the agenda of the telephone call between the two leaders in a telephone call, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Putin and Xi discussed the results of the recent G7 Summit in Canada, noting "the flaws that emerged in the relations of the meeting's participants, " TASS reported.
The call between the two leaders was "very constructive", Russian state media TASS cited Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov telling reporters at a briefing on Thursday.
The two leaders strongly condemned "Israeli actions violating the UN Charter and other norms of international law" and said that the two counties "fundamentally agree that the current situation and issues related to the Iranian nuclear program can not be resolved militarily."
Xi called for a cease-fire between the two warring nations describing it as an "urgent priority," the Foreign Ministry of China said as per Xinhua media outlet.
Terming Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is extremely dangerous, Putin said that Russia stands ready to maintain close communication with China, and make joint active efforts to cool down the situation, so as to safeguard regional peace and stability.
Xi, the Chinese state media reported, noted that the international community should make efforts to de-escalate the situation and that disputes should be resolved through negotiations rather than military force. The Chinese leader urged the relevant parties to firmly support a political solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, and push the issue back to the track of political solution through dialogue and negotiation.
He further said China stands ready to continue enhancing communication and coordination with all parties, pool their efforts, uphold justice, and play a constructive role in restoring peace in West Asia. He also called on the UN Security Council to play a bigger role in this regard.
The two heads of state agreed to maintain close high-level exchanges, advance cooperation in various fields, and deepen the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.
Putin has said that he is in touch with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israel-Iran conflict. He said Russia is prepared to support Tehran's peaceful nuclear development while addressing Tel Aviv's security concerns and that a deal to end fighting between Israel and Iran is possible.
Accordign to the Kremlin, Putin has confirmed Russia's readiness to mediate a dialogue between Iran and Israel in a phone call with President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Kremlin said.
During a meeting with the heads of leading global news agencies in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin said that Russia has engaged in detailed discussions on this issue with both Israeli and US officials, and has communicated proposals to its Iranian counterparts."In general, it is possible to meet Iran's interests in peaceful nuclear energy and at the same time address Israel's concerns about its national security," he said on the sidelines of the SPIEF 2025 an economic conference in St. Petersburg,
Meanwhile, in their telephone call that lasted for over an hour on Thursday Putin and Xi discussed how the participating G7 group of wealthy nations struggled for a consensus on Ukraine after US President Trump backed Putin and left the summit early.
Putin and Xi "discussed the results of the recent G7 meeting in Canada. In particular, they noted the well-known rough edges that emerged in the relations between participants," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. "And, by the way, it was mentioned that for Zelenskyy this was by no means the most successful trip abroad", the aide to Russian President said.
Chinese president, said the media outlet also "briefed" the Russian leader "in detail" about his trip to Kazakhstan, which hosted the second China-Central Asia Summit on June 17-18.
The next meeting, reported TASS, between Putin and Xi will be held in China at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in late August or early September. Putin and Xi will hold full-fledged talks on September 2 in Beijing, on the sidelines of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japan. (ANI)