Russia's Putin and China's Xi condemn Israel over its Iran strikes during phone call

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

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

He said there was a consensus that Israeli and Western concerns about Iran's nuclear programme 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, Ushakov said.