Moscow and Beijing have deepened their ties since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
China has never denounced Russia’s war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine’s allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow.
It insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
In the call on Friday, Xi “pointed out that complex issues have no simple solutions” and said “China will always … support making peace and promoting talks”, CCTV reported.
Putin is set to visit China on a trip beginning in late August.
He will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
He will also hold talks with Xi.
China has been mentioned in media reports as a possible venue for the Putin-Trump summit, with speculation that Trump could join Putin there in early September. The Kremlin has not ruled out such a meeting.
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