US Extends G20 Invitation to Putin as Trump Questions Whether He Will Attend Miami Summit

WASHINGTON — The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the upcoming G20 summit in Miami, a US official said Thursday, though President Donald Trump said he doubts the Russian leader will attend.

The move signals a potential shift in diplomatic posture toward Moscow, which remains widely isolated in the West following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump, however, has maintained a more engagement-focused approach since returning to office.

The United States, this year’s G20 host, is preparing to stage the summit in December in Florida, which Trump has described as a major international event.

“All G20 members will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit,” a senior Trump administration official said.

However, speaking later to reporters, Trump appeared uncertain about the invitation and questioned Putin’s participation.

“I don’t know that he’s coming. I doubt he’d come, to be honest with you,” he said.

Trump nevertheless expressed openness to Putin attending, stating: “If he came, it would be probably very helpful.”

He also criticised former President Barack Obama for expelling Russia from the G8 following the 2014 Ukraine crisis, saying: “President Putin, he was very offended by that — rightfully.”

Putin last appeared on Western soil in August when he met Trump in Alaska, marking his first such visit since the war in Ukraine began.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has sought to revive diplomatic ties with Russia as part of efforts to end the conflict, although his earlier promise to resolve the war quickly has not been achieved.

The Kremlin confirmed that no final decision has been made regarding attendance.

“No such decisions have been made yet,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said Moscow had been invited at “the highest level” to the December 14–15 summit, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

Putin has not attended a G20 summit since 2019 due to the pandemic and subsequent geopolitical tensions.

In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him over the Ukraine war, limiting his international travel options, although the US is not a member of the ICC.

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