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 world leaders arrived Tuesday in the Russian city of Kazan for a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies that the Kremlin hopes to turn into a rallying point for defying Western influence in global affairs.

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

Leaders from the Global South gather at the BRICS summit in Russia, aiming to counter Western influence and strengthen economic ties.

The BRICS summit in Russia will be the "the largest foreign policy event ever held" by Russia, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov has said. The summit with include 36 countries with over 20 represented by heads of state.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan on Tuesday. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine.

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.