27.09.2026, Moscow.
Why should Putin go to the G20 summit.
The United States has sent Vladimir Putin an invitation to the G20 summit, which will be held in December in Miami. This was reported by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressing hope that the Russian leader would accept the invitation. At the same time, Bloomberg sources close to the Kremlin earlier this week indicated that Putin intends to go to China for the APEC summit and will most likely skip the G20 summit.
“In order to solve problems, you have to meet with people you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with, so we’ve invited President Putin to the G20. We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders. We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept,” said the head of the State Department. He added that Washington remains open to interaction with Moscow.
According to Politico, Rubio’s statement came after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergeн Lavrov, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Russian ministry reports that during the conversation, Lavrov drew attention to the “close coordination between the Kiev regime and its European sponsors.” In addition, the parties discussed the situation in the Middle East, the South Caucasus, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow is grateful to Washington for the invitation of Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami. According to him, the invitation will be worked out through diplomatic channels.
“Yes, we saw the statement, and we appreciate the invitation. It will certainly be considered, and at the appropriate time, we will discuss with our American counterparts through the relevant channels the possibility of accepting the invitation,” Peskov stated.
The Washington Post reported back in April that the head of the White House intended to invite Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit. “Official invitations have not yet been sent, however Russia is a member of the Group of Twenty and will be invited to ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit,” the publication quoted a senior US administration official as saying. Trump himself noted at the time that a visit by the Russian president would be very useful, since “one needs to talk to everyone.” However, he immediately expressed doubt that Putin would actually come to the summit.
On the same day, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Pankin reported that Russia was invited to the G20 meeting in the US “at the highest level,” adding that it was not yet clear who would ultimately represent Moscow. In the summer, Russian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Marat Berdyev said that Washington was sending a signal of its desire to see the Russian president at the upcoming meeting. Commenting on this, Peskov noted that Russia would participate in the G20 summit at a high level, but did not specify whether Putin would go to it. In September, Assistant to the Russian President Yuri Ushakov revealed that Vladimir Putin’s visit to the summit had not yet been discussed.
The reaction of European powers to the invitation of Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami turned out to be ambiguous and largely reservedly cautious.
Germany, traditionally advocating the preservation of dialogue with Moscow but bound by allied commitments, preferred an evasive formula: in Berlin they made it clear that the decision on the chancellor’s participation would be made taking into account the common position of EU and NATO partners, avoiding direct criticism of the American initiative. France, on the contrary, emphasized the need for the “usefulness” of any contact with Russia, but stressed that it should not create the impression of normalizing relations bypassing Kiev and European allies.
At the European Union level, the reaction was even more reserved: in Brussels they recalled that the sanctions regime and restrictions on the Russian leadership remain in force, and Putin’s participation in a multilateral format does not cancel the basic principles of the EU position. A number of Eastern European states, primarily Poland and the Baltic countries, reacted sharply negatively, regarding the invitation as a signal of weakening Moscow’s international isolation and a potential undermining of Western unity.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke out against the idea of inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, which will be held in Miami. This was reported by the Italian agency Ansa.
“I believe that right now we should ask Putin to take a few steps forward, rather than taking them ourselves. I think it is time to demand this from Russia,” the agency quotes the Italian prime minister as saying.
Canada’s position stood out separately — although it is not a European power, its harsh reaction showed how painfully the very idea of his presence at the summit among Western leaders is perceived. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously stated directly: “The message will be simple: ‘Get out of Ukraine, give back all of Ukraine to Ukraine, end this war which is killing more than 30,000 of your people every single month,’ and I’d leave it at that to be honest.“
As a result, a unified European position did not emerge: some countries leaned toward pragmatic participation, others toward a boycott or demonstrative distancing, which created additional uncertainty around the format and outcomes of the December meeting.
Commenting on the invitation of Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, Kirill Dmitriev drew a direct parallel between the approaches of the West on social media X. According to him, the EU and the UK “continue to get stuck in Biden’s logic,” whereas the Trump administration “advocates maintaining dialogue with Russia and jointly solving problems.“
Ukraine, although not a member of the G20, did not remain aloof from the discussion of Putin’s invitation. First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Sergey Kislitsa urged not to react too sharply to this. On social media X, he wrote: “Russia’s membership itself isn’t revoked — but Putin’s personal attendance has been a different story. He mostly sent his mouth piece Lavrov instead, or joined virtually, or sent certain Oreshkin from his office.“
The whole world is now guessing whether Putin will accept the proposal or not.
If Putin comes in person, it will be his first in-person participation in the G20 summit since 2019 (Osaka). Rubio describes this as an opportunity for Putin to “engage with Trump and other world leaders.” Trump previously said that Putin’s visit would be “very useful” since “one needs to talk to everyone.” Obviously, Washington hopes to use the multilateral platform to promote direct contact.
The reaction of European allies is the main factor of uncertainty. Back in August, when the Russian finance minister participated in the G20 finance meeting, the German finance minister called his presence a “very alarming signal,” and some European officials threatened to refuse to participate in the “family photo.” If Putin comes in person, a boycott or a cold reception from European leaders could make the atmosphere of the summit extremely awkward. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously stated directly that if they met, he would demand that Putin “get out of Ukraine.”
According to the editorial board, three scenarios are possible going forward.
Most likely: Putin will not go; Russia will send a high-ranking representative (for example, Lavrov). This preserves presence in the G20 as a member of the organization.
Less likely: Putin will go — provided that before the summit, some substantive agreement or agenda is reached between Moscow and Washington that makes the trip “resultative.” Rubio himself emphasized that an ideal meeting “must have a result,” and for this, serious preliminary work is needed.
Time reference: the summit is scheduled for December 14–15. The Kremlin’s final decision may become clear closer to the date, and the November APEC summit will be an important preliminary indicator.
The invitation has been made, but Putin’s trip to Miami is far from guaranteed. How Moscow distributes its priorities between APEC and the G20 in the coming weeks will be the most direct signal.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
