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.

Russia wants the BRICS summit to showcase the rising clout of the non-Western world, but Moscow's partners from China, India, Brazil and the Arab world are urging President Putin to find a way to end the war in Ukraine.

Around two dozen world leaders are convening in Russia on Tuesday for the BRICS summit, where the Kremlin aims to bolster the alliance of