President Xi Jinping on Monday held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine and said China is happy to see efforts by Moscow and others to defuse the crisis.

Xinhua News Agency quoted the president as saying "China is happy to see Russia and relevant parties make positive efforts to defuse the Ukraine crisis".

Xi also said China and Russia are good neighbours and true friends supporting each other and achieving common development.

The president said their relationship does not target any third party, nor would it be influenced by any third party.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Xi expressed his support for dialogue between the US and Russia.

US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia last week and agreed to start work on restoring bilateral ties and preparing for Ukraine peace talks.

Meanwhile, a dozen leaders from Europe and Canada were in Ukraine's capital on Monday to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s military campaign.

The visitors, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were set to attend anniversary events and discuss supporting Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Agencies)