Vladimir Putin said he understood the concerns Chinese President Xi Jinping has regarding Russia's vicious war in Ukraine, while Xi referred to him as an "old friend".
The Russian leader said Xi had approached him with a "balanced" view on the conflict that has seen thousands of people killed including innocent civilians.
The two met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and the Kremlin leader said China was "willing to work with Russia to demonstrate the responsibility of big powers".
In Ukraine, there are also investigations war crimes, while millions of people have been displaced from their homes and thousands of troops killed.
Despite this, it is Putin who said that Russia and China hope to "instil stability and positive energy in a world of chaos".
Energy prices are soaring as countries turn away from Russian gas and oil and the country is hit with major sanctions due to its callous invasion.
To Xi, Putin said: "We highly value the balanced position of our Chinese friends when it comes to the Ukraine crisis.
"We understand your questions and concern about this. During today's meeting, we will of course explain our position."
In return, Russia's stance on China's "one China" policy remained firm as the dispute over the future of self-governed Taiwan remains between the US and China.
Taiwan, which brands itself the Republic of China (ROC), has remained self-ruled, but the CCP views reunification with Taiwan as a key part of its Communist ideology and the country's identity.
China has said it is willing to use military force to ensure Taiwan is brought under its control.
The US recently moved away from its position of "strategic ambiguity", implying it would step in a military sense if Taiwan was attacked.
Drills by the US in the Taiwan Strait have continued, causing Putin to say Russia will "condemn provocations by the United States and their satellites" in the area.
Putin's forces are now on the back foot as Ukraine's troops try to build on a swift and effective counteroffensive made last week, where they recovered nearly all of the Kharkiv region.
Including key strategic towns like Kupiansk and Izium, Ukraine claims they were able to liberate around 400 settlements and an area larger than Lincolnshire.
Xi's China has gone along with the line that the war in Ukraine is actually a "special operation", according to claims by the Kremlni9.
Putin's Russia insists - these are false claims - that the war in Ukraine is an operation to remove the threat of a Nazi state on its borders.
