Xi, Putin hail ties in video call as Ukraine war nears anniversary

China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin ⁠both hailed their ties during a video call on Wednesday held in the run-up to the fourth ‍anniversary of Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Putin said the Moscow-Beijing relationship was an ‌important stabilising factor at a time ‍of growing global turbulence, in a Russian state television broadcast of the talks.

Xi, speaking via an interpreter, called for the countries to work out a "grand plan" to further bilateral relations which he said were advancing in the right direction.

China and Russia declared a "no limits" strategic partnership days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine ⁠in February 2022.

Since then, China has emerged as an economic lifeline for Russia by stepping up trade with the northern neighbour while Western powers piled sanctions on Moscow.

Xi and Putin last met in Beijing when China staged a massive military parade in September that ‌was also attended by North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un.

During that meeting, Xi said China-Russia ties had "withstood international turbulence" and pledged to coordinate with Moscow on issues concerning ‍their core interests.

Ukraine and Europe have accused Beijing of providing direct military aid ‍to Russia's ‍war effort. Beijing denies the accusations and ⁠says it is not ‍a party to the conflict.

On Tuesday, senior diplomats of the two countries met in Beijing to discuss the global security situation and other issues and reached "broad ⁠consensus", the ‌Chinese foreign ministry said.