World leaders called for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine at the BRICS summit in Russia on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin told them he welcomed offers to mediate in the Ukraine conflict. The Russian leader is casting the gathering as a sign that Western attempts to isolate Moscow have failed, but faced direct calls to end the Ukraine conflict from some of his closest and most important partners. The meeting of around 20 world leaders in the central city of Kazan is the largest diplomatic forum in Russia since the country’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in 2022.
