Pijing, 25 Feb (Bloomberg)- Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Putin by phone and encouraged Russia and Ukraine to negotiate to “address problems,” China state TV said Friday.

“China supports Russia and Ukraine to resolve issues through negotiations,” Xi said during the call, according to China Central Television. He reiterated that China’s position has always been to respect every country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Putin told Xi he’s willing to hold high-level negotiations with Ukraine, the China report said.

Xi and Putin are close allies and met this month in Beijing around the Olympics. Beijing has declined to rebuke Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, while pledging normal trade and interactions also with Kyiv. An important energy supplier to China, Russia has strengthened trade ties with Beijing over the past decade.

Still, the repeated call for territorial integrity to be respected hints at a degree of discomfort in Beijing with the offensive. China has also been keen to portray itself as an international statesman and supporter of global rules-based institutions.