China and Russia Push for U.N. Action on Middle East Ceasefire

China and Russia are pledging to step up coordination at the United Nations Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, a sign of the deepening diplomatic alignment between the two nations amid a deteriorating security landscape.

In a Sunday phone call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the escalating war and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement published on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website. Both diplomats called for an immediate end to military operations and a return to the negotiating table.