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President Donald Trump is scheduled to invite Russian leader Vladímir Putin to the Group of Twenty summit (G-20), set to take place in December at the Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami, although the formal invitation has not yet been sent, administration officials confirmed on Thursday.
The State Department issued a statement noting that Trump "has made it clear that Russia is welcome to attend all G-20 meetings, while the United States focuses on achieving a successful and productive summit."
A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Washington Post, clarified that "at this time, no formal invitations have been issued, but Russia is a member of the G-20 and will be invited to attend the ministerial meetings and the leaders' summit."
Trump clarified the information from the Oval Office, where he denied having sent a formal invitation, although he acknowledged that the presence of the Russian leader would be welcome: "No, it is not. But if he came, it would be very useful."
At the same time, the U.S. president expressed skepticism about Putin's attendance: "To be honest, I doubt he will come."
From Moscow, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, stated that "Russia has participated in all summits at the appropriate level" and that "the decision on the format of our participation will be made closer to the summit."
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Pankin, stated that Russia received an invitation to the G-20 "at the highest level," although its acceptance depends on future circumstances.
The potential visit of Putin to Miami faces a significant legal obstacle: the International Criminal Court (ICC) has had an arrest warrant against the Russian leader for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, an accusation categorized as a war crime.
However, the United States is not a part of the Rome Statute —it withdrew its signature in 2002— and is not legally obliged to enforce that order if Putin sets foot on American soil.
This precedent was established in August 2025, when Putin traveled to Alaska for a bilateral summit with Trump at Elmendorf-Richardson Base in Anchorage, without any legal consequences.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has not attended any G-20 summit in person, being represented by Chancellor Serguéi Lavrov at the editions in Bali, India, and Johannesburg.
Trump also took the opportunity to criticize Russia's expulsion from the G-8 in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea, calling it a "very stupid" decision and stating about Putin: "He was very offended, and he is right to feel that way."
The G-20 summit in Miami, scheduled for December 14 and 15, 2026, will be the first organized by the United States in nearly twenty years, and Trump's decision to unilaterally choose his own resort as the venue has drawn criticism for conflicts of interest.
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