China supports Donald Trump’s bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the country’s foreign minister said.

At the G20 summit in South Africa on Thursday, Wang Yi said: “China supports all efforts conducive to peace (in Ukraine), including the recent consensus reached between the United States and Russia.”

“China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in the political resolution of the crisis,” he added.

Beijing has been one of Moscow’s major allies throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has been accused by Western officials of providing materials and technologies to feed the Russian war machine.

Mr Wang’s comments come after US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia last week to discuss a peace deal without Kyiv’s involvement, raising fears that a truce brokered could favour Moscow.

The talks have caused a deepening rift between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, who the US president branded as a “dictator” on Wednesday, sparking outrage amongst Kyiv’s European allies.