China is willing to strengthen its "strategic alignment" with Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a visiting Russian official Thursday, adding that Beijing and Moscow must maintain close cooperation in multilateral forums.

"Both parties should lead global governance in the right direction, (and) gather consensus among friendly political parties in all countries, especially the Global South," Xi told Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's powerful Security Council, reported state broadcaster CCTV.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday during which they discussed the crises in Ukraine and Syria, the TASS state news agency reported.

Medvedev said Russia was ready for peace talks with Ukraine, but only if Kyiv understood the realities on the ground, TASS reported.