China and Russia positioning themselves as voices of reason, calling for de-escalation of a conflict the United States is contemplating on entering — these are the optics Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sought to project during a phone call on Thursday.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul offered warnings on Saturday of how U.S. strikes on Iran could influence U.S. adversaries around the world. In an interview on MSNBC, McFaul said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be glad to see the U.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping both condemned Israel on Thursday over its strikes on Iran and agreed that de-escalation was needed, the Kremlin said after the two leaders spoke by telephone.