MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. The ongoing Iranian conflict settlement was raised during talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as they enjoyed a "cup of tea", Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"The Iranian issue was also discussed during the tea-drink ceremony," Peskov said at a press briefing.

Putin arrived in Beijing for an official visit on the evening of May 19 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. On the morning of May 20, the leaders met for bilateral talks and later attended a ceremony marking the signing of more than 20 documents on bilateral cooperation in various areas by official representatives on behalf of the Russian delegation and China.

Putin and Xi signed "The Declaration on the Emergence of a Multipolar World and a New Type of International Relations" and also agreed to extend "The Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation."

The Russian president’s visit to China was timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of "The Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation," which serves as a foundation for bilateral ties, and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership for coordination in the 21st century.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that Tehran was studying the US side's comments on the Iranian proposal for ceasing hostilities. On May 18, the Tasnim news agency reported that Pakistan had submitted a new 14-point Iranian proposal for resolving the conflict to the US.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. On April 7, US President Donald Trump declared a two-week ceasefire with Iran. On April 11, Iran and the US held several rounds of talks in Islamabad; however, both sides later reported that they were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term settlement of the conflict due to a number of contradictions.

On April 21, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to extend the ceasefire with Iran. Since then, a new round of talks has not taken place. On May 19, Trump stated that the United States was prepared to give diplomacy in the conflict over Iran a chance until early next week, postponing the resumption of hostilities until then. Meanwhile, according to the Iranian state television, Tehran does not recognize Washington’s unilateral ceasefire extension and will act as it deems necessary in its own interests.