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 has positioned the BRICS summit as a counterweight to the West.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is presiding over his largest international gathering in nearly three years this week, as Russia hosts the BRICS economic bloc's annual summit. Why it matters: Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 spurred an avalanche of Western sanctions and condemnations,