UK PM Johnson in 'candid' call with Chinese President Xi Jinping

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in what was termed as a frank and candid conversation, which lasted almost an hour.

Downing Street said the two leaders spoke on a range of issues of mutual interest, including the situation as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is expected that Boris Johnson would have used the conversation to press Premier Xi to proactively work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The leaders discussed a range of issues of mutual interest including the situation in the Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesperson said, in a readout of the phone call.

It was a frank and candid conversation lasting almost an hour. They agreed to speak again soon, the spokesperson said.

Johnson is said to have started by expressing his sympathy with the victims of the China Eastern plane that crashed with 132 people on board in southern China last week.

President Xi asked the Prime Minister to convey his best wishes to Her Majesty the Queen on her Jubilee, Downing Street added.

The conversation comes soon after an emergency summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) military alliance, where NATO leaders issued a joint statement saying that China must uphold the international order including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, as enshrined in the UN Charter, and to abstain from supporting Russia's war effort in any way, and to refrain from any action that helps Russia circumvent sanctions.

We are concerned by recent public comments by PRC (People's Republic of China) officials and call on China to cease amplifying the Kremlin's false narratives, in particular on the war and on NATO, and to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict, the NATO statement reads.

Ahead of the summit in Brussels on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that western allies are concerned that China could provide material support for the Russian invasion.

The west has been exerting pressure on China, as one of Russia's closest allies, to use its influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.