Xi urges Iran and ‘especially Israel’ to cease fire during call with Putin

Russian leader confirms Moscow is ready to mediate Middle East conflict in conversation with Chinese president

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) has warned the situation in the Middle East is “very critical”. He made the comments in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (right) on Thursday. Photo: AP

Published: 6:22pm, 19 Jun 2025Updated: 8:21pm, 19 Jun 2025

In a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an end to the fighting between Israel and Iran, urging the countries, “especially Israel”, to cease fire to prevent the situation from escalating and avoid a spillover of the conflict.

The phone conversation came days after Israel initiated a large-scale military attack on Iran, which led to retaliation by Tehran.

“The situation in the Middle East is very critical. It once again proves that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change,” Xi told Putin, according to a statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“If the conflict escalates further, not only will the conflicting parties suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also suffer greatly,” Xi said.

Putin said Russia was willing to maintain close communication with China and would work with Beijing on efforts to cool the situation and maintain regional peace and stability.

“Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is highly dangerous. The escalation of the conflict is not in the interests of any party, and the Iranian nuclear issue should be resolved through dialogue and consultation,” Putin said, according to the statement.