Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have held talks in Beijing. The Chinese leader called for peace talks on the war in Ukraine while indicating his opposition to sanctions by Western and other countries on Russia.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi spoke on the conflict in Ukraine during the meeting on Wednesday. He reportedly said the core of China's stance is to encourage peace talks.

The ministry says Xi called for respecting countries' legitimate security concerns and building a balanced and sustainable European security architecture.

Xi also reportedly said relevant countries should stop politicizing economic matters and work for a ceasefire.

Lukashenko reportedly said he fully supports China's proposal for peace and its efforts on global security.

After the talks, the leaders signed a joint statement for developing a comprehensive strategic partnership. They witnessed the signing of documents on bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture and other fields.

Observers say China wants to signal it seeks a peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine at a time when the United States and some others claim it is considering military support for Russia.