The United States intends to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Group of 20 leaders’ summit scheduled for December at President Donald Trump’s Doral golf resort in Miami, though the invitation has not yet been sent, administration officials said Thursday,
WP reports.
In a statement, the State Department said that President Donald Trump “has been clear that Russia is welcome to attend all G-20 meetings as the United States focuses on delivering a successful and productive summit.”
“No formal invitations have been issued at this time, but Russia is a G-20 member and will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit,” said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to brief the news media.
Speaking to reporters in Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said that he was not aware of an invitation to Putin but that he would not oppose it.
“If he came it would probably be very helpful,” the president said, later adding that he was “of the opinion that you talk to everybody.” He said, however, that he doubted Putin would attend if invited.
The G-20 is an intergovernmental forum encompassing representatives of 19 of the world’s largest economies, plus the European Union and the African Union. The summit, held annually, is an opportunity for world leaders to discuss pressing global issues.
Russia has skipped in-person attendance since 2019, initially because of the coronavirus pandemic and then later because of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and a subsequent arrest warrant for Putin that was issued by the International Criminal Court. Putin has been accused of war crimes in connection with the Ukraine war.
President Joe Biden, Trump’s predecessor, said in 2022 that he would support removing Russia from the G-20. Ukraine is not a G-20 member, though it has attended some meetings as a guest.
Russian officials had said earlier Thursday that Putin was invited to the summit in Miami but that it was not clear if he would attend.
“Russia has participated in every summit at the appropriate level,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters, adding that a “decision on the format of our participation will be made closer to the summit.”
Speaking to Russian media, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that the United States had extended an invitation “at the highest level” but, noting that the event was months away, it was not clear if it would be accepted.
“God knows what will happen before then,” Pankin said, according to Ria Novosti.
