Biden asks China’s Xi for help against Russia

President Biden on Friday called Chinese President Xi Jinping to request help cutting off Russia with sanctions and a ban on military supplies that could be used in Ukraine — but the call happened as China’s military provocatively sailed an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait.

The video call lasted nearly 2 hours and ended at 10:53 a.m., the White House said.

It was not immediately clear if Xi had agreed to any steps to penalize Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government for its 23-day-old war in Ukraine amid heavy bombardment of major cities and widespread civilian casualties.

Putin reportedly is seeking weapons from China, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also has raised concern about Beijing’s intentions toward Taiwan.