Russia has been facing increasing pressure from Western countries since annexing the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine last year.
And now the new US military chief has described Russia as the greatest current threat to US national security.
Russia was banned from attending the Group of 20 summit last year and since then has faced new economic sanctions.
Now the continued tension between Russia and the West has been highlighted at the Senate confirmation hearing of the new chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Marine General Joseph Dunford told the hearing Russia presents the greatest present threat to US national security.
"In Russia we have a nuclear power. We have one that not only has the capability to violate the sovereignty of our allies and to do things that are inconsistent with our national interests, but they're in the process of doing so. So if you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential threat to the United States, I'd have to point to Russia and if you look at their behaviour it's nothing short of alarming."
But hosting two major summits this week has offered Russia opportunities to show it is not completely isolated from the global community.
At the start of their summit, leaders of the so called BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - managed to present a united front.
They expressed concerns about the world's economy, and launched two of the group's largest initiatives to date - The New Development Bank, and a currency pool.
The BRICS countries see the bank, to be headquartered in China, as an alternative to the World Bank.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the bank is a major breakthrough.
"One of our most important achievements is the launch of the currency reserves pool and the New Development Bank. Our countries have successfully completed procedures for ratification of their launch."
Brazilian President Dilma Roussef says the launch of the bank is historic.
"My friends, we are going to launch a new cycle of global cooperation, and the initiatives developed by the BRICS countries will play a decisive role in establishing new constructive international relations."
The BRICS nations account for a fifth of the world's economic output and 40 per cent of its population.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on BRICS members to work together to strengthen cooperation and achieve prosperity.
"BRICS countries have also faced numerous difficulties and challenges in their development. Nevertheless, we need to be confident when facing those difficulties. The BRICS countries have abundant natural and human resources and large domestic markets, a high potential for development and political influence."
South Africa's President, Jacob Zuma, says his country has already benefited from the alliance.
"We witnessed impressive growth, indicative of continuous integration of our economies. Both South Africa and the African continent have benefited from our economic cooperation with our BRICS partners."
Russia is also hosting this week's Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit, another chance to showcase its allegiances.
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