Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that relevant parties to the Ukraine crisis should remain rational and exercise restraint, engage in comprehensive dialogue and address common security concerns through political means, state-run media said.

China "upholds objectivity and fairness" and actively promotes peace talks, Xi told Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, during their meeting in Beijing, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Medvedev, who was invited by China's ruling Communist Party as leader of the ruling United Russia party, said there are reasons for the Ukraine crisis and it is very complicated, adding Russia is willing to solve the problems through peace talks, Xinhua said.

Since Russia invaded its neighbor in February, Beijing has refrained from condemning Moscow and has opposed sanctions levied against it by Western nations. But Xi has expressed his concerns about the war and objections to using or threatening to use nuclear weapons in the Eastern European country.

Medvedev handed Xi a personal letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, which noted "the unprecedented level of Russian-Chinese political dialogue and practical cooperation," according to Russia's Tass news agency.

Xi noted that China-Russia relations have withstood the test of global changes over the past decade and maintained a sound, steady, high-level development.

He added that developing a comprehensive bilateral partnership is "a long-term strategic choice" and said Beijing is ready to work with Moscow to "make global governance more just and equitable," an apparent jab at the U.S.-led international order.