Belarus leader 'fully supports' China's Ukraine peace plan

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that his country "fully supports" Beijing's proposals for ending the Ukraine war when the two leaders met.

The state visit to the Chinese capital by Lukashenko -- a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin -- comes after Beijing published a position paper on Moscow's war in Ukraine insisting it is a neutral party and calling for dialogue.

Western countries have criticised China for failing to condemn Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, while Beijing has reacted furiously to recent claims by the United States and NATO that it may be contemplating arms transfers to Russia.

"Today's meeting is taking place at a very difficult time, which calls for new, unorthodox approaches and responsible political decisions," Lukashenko said.

"They should be aimed at first and foremost preventing a slide into a global confrontation that will see no winners," he told Xi.

"That is why Belarus is actively coming up with peace proposals, and fully supports the initiative on international security you have put forward."

According to a Chinese readout, Xi mentioned in the meeting that parties should discard "all Cold War mentality" and work to build a "balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture".

In a jovial run-up to the three-day trip, Beijing lauded its "all-weather and comprehensive" strategic partnership with Minsk, while Lukashenko said he was looking forward to meeting his "old friend" Xi.