Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping condemn Israel over Iran strikes: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have held a phone call during which both leaders condemned Israel for its strikes on Iran and agreed de-escalation was needed, the Kremlin says.

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

He said there was a consensus that Israeli and Western concerns about Iran’s nuclear program 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, Mr Ushakov said.