Russian President Putin presided at the end session of a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, hailing it as a counterbalance to the West.

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

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.