China and Russia positioning themselves as voices of reason, calling for de-escalation of a conflict the United States is contemplating on entering — these are the optics Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sought to project during a phone call on Thursday.

Russian and Chinese presidents held a call on Thursday during which they both condemned Israel for striking Iran, the Kremlin said.

Russia and China have announced to form a united front to protect Iran. CNN's report says that a strong message has been sent to Donald Trump. CNN has said in its report that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have appealed to the President to avoid the US's entry into the Israel-Iran war.