Russia and China Agree To Information Exchange On Iran-Israel Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed that they will exchange sensitive information related to the Iran-Israel conflict in the middle-east. The two premiers were speaking over a phone call on June 19.

“President Putin and Xi Jinping, in their hour-long phone call, have agreed to issue orders to their relevant agencies to share information on Iran,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov announced. Ushakov added that both leaders "strongly condemn Israel’s actions that violate the UN Charter and other norms of international law".

The day before, on June 18, Putin had discussed the Israel-Iran conflict with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, over a phone call. Russia and the UAE had called for an immediate cessation of the Israel-Iran conflict. They also said there needed to be an intensification of political and diplomatic efforts to resolve Tehran’s nuclear issue. "The imperative of an early cessation of hostilities and intensification of political and diplomatic efforts in the interests of resolving controversial issues related to the Iranian nuclear programme was emphasised,” the Kremlin said in a statement after the talks.

Even as Moscow has stepped up its efforts in the war with Ukraine— attacking residential buildings in Kyiv with a missile and drone bombardment— Putin offered to mediate an end to the Israel-Iran conflict. Speaking to editors of international news agencies in St Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin suggested that Moscow could help negotiate a settlement allowing Tehran to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme while assuaging Israeli security concerns.The Russian President said the conflict was a “delicate issue” but that solutions were possible. Putin also mentioned that he shared Moscow’s proposal to mediate with Iran, Israel and the US.

"We are not imposing anything on anyone; we are simply talking about how we see a possible way out of the situation. But the decision, of course, is up to the political leadership of all these countries, primarily Iran and Israel," said Putin as reported by the Associate Press.