The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the December G20 summit in Miami, hosted at National Doral Golf Club, President Trump’s private golf course. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the invitation is intended to provide opportunities for engagement with Putin and other world leaders. The Kremlin has not yet publicly responded, and Putin has not accepted the invitation.
Both outlets link the invitation to the likelihood of heightened concern among Ukraine and European countries because it would be the first time Putin attends a major G20 summit since the war in Ukraine began. Rubio’s comments present the invitation as a diplomatic opportunity, while reporting notes that other leaders are likely to view the move as politically sensitive. The invitation comes after a similar arrangement in 2020 that drew widespread backlash and was later canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The reports also note that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he plans to attend the G20 and would consider meeting Putin, while Putin has previously indicated he would only meet Zelenskiy in Russia. If Putin participates, it would mark a significant diplomatic and symbolic development for the summit.
