Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the G20 summit to be held in December in Miami, an event that could mark the Russian leader's in-person return to this forum after seven years.
«We have invited President Putin to the G20. We believe it is an opportunity for him to interact not only with [Trump], but also with other world leaders. We hope he accepts the invitation,» Rubio stated during a press conference in New York, as reported by the State Department.
The announcement came after a meeting between the U.S. Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Rubio defended the decision as part of President Donald Trump's negotiating strategy and pointed out that "to solve problems, one must meet with people one disagrees with."
The invitation represents a shift from the diplomatic isolation that Russia has faced in numerous international forums since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Putin has not attended a G20 summit in person since 2019, although he did participate virtually in a session in 2023.
The announcement comes after Congress approved new sanctions against Russia, granting Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy.
The summit is scheduled for December at the Trump National Doral, in Miami-Dade County.
The possible presence of Putin also opens the door to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had expressed his willingness to travel to the summit and meet with Putin, a proposal that was subsequently rejected by the Kremlin, according to the German network Deutsche Welle.
Rubio also pointed out that Trump and Zelenski discussed this week in New York the possibility of moving towards a limited ceasefire related to energy, amid Washington's efforts to promote a negotiated resolution to the war.
The invitation to Putin arrives as Russian attacks on Ukraine continue. This Wednesday, a new wave of drones struck Kyiv, hitting various locations including a gas station, warehouses, a business center, and transportation infrastructure. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported at least one death and eight injuries.
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