The U.S. slapped heavy sanctions on Russia after its Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including major blocks on the transactions of Russian financial institutions, banning U.S. imports of Russian energy products, and personal sanctions on Russian oligarchs in Putin's inner circle.

China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and other global leaders have arrived in the Russian city of Kazan for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies.

BRICS, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has now expanded to include other nations such as Egypt, the UAE, and Iran.

The gathering defies predictions that the war in Ukraine and an international arrest warrant against Putin would keep him off the global stage.

The Russian city of Kazan is hosting leaders from the world's emerging economies, including those from a new batch of members that joined BRICS this year.

President Vladimir Putin will play host to Russia’s biggest gathering of world leaders, including the heads of 32 countries, since the invasion of Ukraine.

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, three-day meeting also offers powerful way to demonstrate failure of US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine