The face-off between nuclear-powered neighbours India and China caused growing alarm in world capitals, with the UN, the US, the UK and Russia calling for restraint.

Moscow announced that the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China would have a videoconference on June 23, offering another opportunity to the Chinese and Indian foreign ministers to engage.

Russia said it is concerned over the fierce clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh, but believes both of its close allies can resolve the conflict themselves.

“Certainly, we are watching with great attention what is happening on the Chinese-Indian border. We believe that this is a very alarming report,” Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“But we consider that the two countries are capable of taking necessary steps to prevent such situations in the future and to ensure that there is predictability and stability in the region and that this is a safe region for nations, first of all, China and India,” Russian news agency Tass quoted Peskov as saying.

The Kremlin spokesperson emphasised that China and India are Russia’s close partners and allies, and “have very close and mutually beneficial relations (with Russia) built on mutual respect”.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia welcomed contacts between the two nations to de-escalate the situation.

Britain, too, called on both sides to engage in dialogue. Its foreign office said in a cautious statement: “Clearly these are concerning reports and we continue to monitor the situation closely. We encourage China and India to engage in dialogue on issues relating to the border — the UK wants to see a peaceful resolution to the current situation. We offer our condolences to the families of those killed.”

Britain does not want to rock the boat just at the moment when it is dependent on medical supplies from China to deal with the pandemic. However, Tom Tugendhat, chairperson of the influential foreign affairs select committee, made it clear where he thinks the guilt lies.

“China’s incursion into Indian territory leading to the death of some 20 soldiers is a major escalation of the border dispute,” he tweeted. “We need to diffuse the tensions and that means recognising international borders. My condolences are with the families who have paid a terrible price.”

He followed this up by telling The Telegraph: “China’s decision to confront India is very worrying. With so many countries facing the Covid-19 crisis and Beijing’s policies already seeing the mass detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang and the repression of democracy in Hong Kong, this is another point of concern to democrats around the world.”