Xi and Putin "held a video meeting at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on the afternoon of January 21", state broadcaster CCTV said.

The broadcaster did not immediately give details of what was discussed during the call.

China has sought to depict itself as a neutral party since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But it remains a close political and economic partner of Moscow and has never condemned the war, leading some NATO members to brand Beijing an "enabler" of the conflict.

Both sides have made much of Xi and Putin's supposedly strong personal bond, with Xi calling the Russian leader his "best friend" and Putin lauding his "reliable partner".

In a New Year's message to Putin last month, Xi vowed to promote "world peace and development", according to a contemporary CCTV report.

"In the face of rapidly evolving changes not seen in a century and the turbulent international situation, China and Russia have consistently moved forward hand-in-hand along the correct path of non-alignment, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party," the broadcaster reported Xi as saying.