Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible, in a phone call between the two leaders, in which Washington hopes Beijing will join Western pressure on Moscow to stop its war against Kyiv.
According to Chinese media, Xi stressed to Biden over the call the top priorities of continuing dialogue and negotiations, avoiding civilian casualties, preventing a humanitarian crisis, stopping the fighting and ending the war as soon as possible.
The Chinese president added that all parties should jointly support dialogue and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, while the United States and NATO should hold talks with Russia to solve the "core" of the Ukraine crisis and resolve the security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine.
Chinese TV reported that Xi Jinping stressed - in the call - that "relations between countries cannot reach the limit of military actions," considering that "peace and security are the most valuable treasures of the international community."
He noted that as permanent members of the UN Security Council and the two most important economies in the world, both countries should not only strengthen China-US relations, but also "bear international responsibilities and make efforts for peace around the world."
The international community should value security and peace, he said, adding that the crisis in Ukraine "is not what we want to see," according to a separate report of China's Xinhua News Agency.
Washington is trying to pressure Beijing to join Western pressure on Russia to stop its war on Ukraine.
The call is the first between the two presidents since a video conference in November.
An earlier White House statement said the call was "part of an ongoing effort to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the People's Republic of China."
The statement said that the two leaders will discuss the management of competition between the two countries, as well as the war waged by Russia on Ukraine and other issues of common interest.
Bloomberg News reported that the call was an opportunity for Biden to assess where Beijing stands in the war and how his Chinese counterpart sees his country's role, after some Chinese officials issued conflicting statements about their support for Ukraine and Russia.
US officials have warned China of serious consequences if it provides Russia with any military or financial assistance in its war on Ukraine.
"We are prepared to impose costs on China," US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told MSNBC on Friday, urging Beijing to stand with Ukraine instead.
Sherman stressed that "China must understand that its future is with the United States and Europe and with other developed and developing countries around the world... and that its future is not with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin."
China earlier dismissed private indications that it had chosen the wrong side in the war.
"The allegations that China is on the wrong side of history are arrogant...it is the United States that is on the wrong side of history," Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying said in a tweet on Twitter.