U.S. Invites Vladimir Putin To Miami G20 As EU Plans To Condemn Ukraine War

Putin G20 Invite

The United States invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami in December, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We’ve invited President Putin to the G20.”

The invitation followed a meeting between Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and Rubio said the summit could be “an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders.”

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision was not yet made and told reporters, “For now, it is premature to talk about it. A decision has not yet been made,” while adding, “We gratefully received this kind invitation.”

The EU said it would condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine at the G20 “regardless of whether Russian President Vladimir Putin attends,” and EU spokesman Olof Gill said, “Since 2022, the EU has consistently and forcefully used G20 meetings to condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion [of Ukraine] and to call for it to end.”

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Canada and German Conditions

Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul said the invitation would be “a litmus test for Vladimir Putin: whether he is willing to negotiate seriously,” and he argued that “Such opportunities must be used.” Anita Anand defended Canada’s participation in the G20 amid the possibility of Putin’s attendance, and she said, “Diplomacy largely consists of staying at the table, having difficult conversations,” while also stating, “We will be present.”

Wadephul paired his welcoming stance with a condition, saying, “A ceasefire is, in my view, additionally warranted to be able to negotiate seriously,” and he said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had rejected a ceasefire at the UN Security Council. Russian media coverage framed the invitation as “white noise,” and Moskovsky Komsomolets said, “Ahead Russia has not peace, but war,” while also warning that the “real political agenda is preparing for an even tougher and bloodier phase of the Ukrainian conflict.”

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War Context and Next Steps

The EU spokesman Olof Gill said the EU would continue its approach at the G20 “irrespective of the participants at any G20 meeting,” and he pointed to Russia’s escalation against Ukrainian civilians. DW reported that eight people were killed in a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine, and it said the strikes included a fire at a shopping mall in and around Odesa.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Putin “patient zero” and “the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading further,” while the Kremlin said it was still reviewing the invitation. In the same diplomatic push, the United States also pressed Moscow and Kyiv to consider a limited cease-fire covering attacks on energy infrastructure, and Rubio said, “It doesn’t solve the war,” while arguing it could reduce consequences and provide “a possible basis for wider negotiations.”

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