Russian and Chinese Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping spoke by phone today. An extensive report by Putin’s senior aide Yury Ushakov notes that, on the Middle East escalation, both Presidents “share identical approaches and strongly condemn Israeli actions that violate the UN Charter and other norms of international law. Both Moscow and Beijing are deeply convinced that there is no military solution to the current situation and issues related to Iran’s nuclear program cannot be resolved by force, while a solution must be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”
Ushakov reported that Putin briefed Xi on his latest discussions with U.S. President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Iranian President Pezeshkian, and the effort to de-escalate the “extreme tension we are witnessing today.” Putin and Xi “agreed to instruct their respective teams in the relevant agencies and services of the two countries to work closely together in the coming days by sharing insights and perspectives.”
Otherwise, the two discussed the outcomes of the June 16-17 G7 summit in Canada, “noting in particular, a certain degree of tension among the participants. It was also noted that it was not the best trip for Zelenskyy.”
Furthermore: “In the run-up to the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in early July, the heads of state touched upon advancing Russia’s initiatives put forward during last year’s BRICS summit in Kazan which include, in particular, creating a new investment platform designed to promote economic growth in our respective countries and among our partners from the Global South. It was noted that Russian and Chinese experts maintain close contacts regarding this matter.”
