The meeting marks the largest gathering of international leaders in Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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 calls Chinese President Xi Jinping his ‘dear friend’ Tuesday at a BRICS summit meeting hosted in Kazan