Putin was greeted with an honor guard, a cannon salute and the two countries' anthems played by a military band. The two leaders reviewed the honor guard before heading into closed-door talks, according to footage broadcast live on Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. The Russian leader arrived just after 4 a.m. local time (9 p.m. Wednesday ET) for a visit that will last until Friday. The trip comes after Putin was sworn in for a fifth term and follows Chinese leader Xi Jinping's recent trip to Europe, where the Chinese leader faced renewed pressure to persuade his Russian counterpart to end the offensive in Ukraine. The visit also comes a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in Kyiv an additional $2 billion in funding to help Ukraine purchase weapons and boost its own domestic arms production. This is Putin's second visit to Beijing in less than a year, after he attended the Belt and Road Forum in October 2023. For the Chinese leader, the visit will be an opportunity to show that his affinity with Putin has not compromised his ability to maintain relations with the West, especially after Washington asked Beijing not to supply components that could be used in the war. China, which has not condemned the invasion, has denied having military ties with Russia, but has called for a conference "recognized by all parties" to resume peace talks. Trade between China and Russia grew by 26.3% year-on-year in 2023, to $240 billion. Beijing has become the biggest market for Russian oil and gas and a major source of imports, including dual-use civil-military goods that keep the Russian military machine operating, despite China having banned the sale of weapons to its neighbor. In recent months, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have visited China and warned Chinese officials and financial institutions of sanctions against any banks that facilitate payments to the Russian war machine. Read More: Putin arrives in China for two-day visit (Portuguese version)