Putin hosts BRICS summit, Defies Western isolation

The leaders of South Africa, India and China arrived on Tuesday for the Brics summit of emerging economies.

The meeting will see president Vladimir Putin host more than 20 heads of state.

It’s a move that subverts expectations that Russia’s war in Ukraine, western sanctions and an international arrest warrant would isolate Russia on the world stage.

The meeting has been dubbed by the Kremlin as one of the "largest-scale foreign policy events ever" in Russia.

Commonly referred to as a counterbalance to the Western World, the BRICS alliance initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Egypt, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have since joined, and according to Russian officials, 30 nations also want to be included or pursue stronger bonds with the club. Some of these countries will be at the summit.

Together, the BRICS countries account for around 28 percent of the global economy.