President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on member countries to build Brics for peace and act as guardians of common security in an address at their summit in Kazan, Russia.

Xi also spoke about three principles to help defuse the Ukraine crisis.

In his speech, the president urged Brics countries to advocate peaceful co-existence and harmony between civilizations.

He also said Brics members should support sustainable development, and that China is willing to leverage its advantages to expand cooperation with the bloc in green industries, clean energy and green minerals.

On Ukraine, Xi urged Brics nations to uphold the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no provocation by any party, with an aim towards de-escalating the crisis as soon as possible.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed offers by Brics leaders to mediate in the conflict, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Many countries "expressed a desire to contribute more actively" to resolving the conflict, state media cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters on the sidelines of the summit. (Xinhua & agencies)