MOSCOW, February 8. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed over the phone energy cooperation between the two countries and the implementation of joint projects in this area, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said at a briefing.

"During the conversation, much attention was paid to cooperation in the energy sector, which is, in fact, the driving force behind our practical interaction," the Kremlin representative noted.

"[The two leaders] discussed the progress in implementing large joint Russian-Chinese energy projects. They confirmed readiness for further work to promote them, despite attempts by Western countries to exert pressure by introducing unilateral illegitimate sanctions," Ushakov added.

The presidential aide recalled that in 2023 energy supplies "broke all records."

"For oil and coal, pipeline and liquefied natural gas, they significantly exceeded the figures from previous years," he said.