Here are some of the stories we are covering from around the world:

Inside Putin’s Alternate Reality: Warm Embraces and a Veneer of Normalcy

For three uninterrupted days this week, President Vladimir V. Putin basked in the attention of other world leaders in the picturesque Russian city of Kazan. He held court at round table discussions during which he pronounced that the West is facing an irreversible process of decline.

Russia Raises Interest Rate to 21 Percent, Its Highest in Decades

Russia’s central bank raised the cost of borrowing in the country to its highest level in more than two decades on Friday in an effort to slow inflation that is being fueled by record military spending and recruitment.

A Pivotal Election for Georgia, Explained

Georgia will hold a parliamentary election on Saturday that could determine the country’s geopolitical orientation for years to come as it is pulled between Russia, China and the West.

@nytimes