U.S. Invites Putin to G20 Summit—Will He Meet Trump Again?

[Financial News] U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, which will be held in the United States this December, and that he hoped Putin would attend. If Putin accepts the invitation, there is keen interest in whether he will discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump.
At a briefing held at United Nations headquarters in New York on the 23rd (local time), Secretary Rubio disclosed that Putin had been invited and said, "I hope he accepts." He said Putin's attendance would give him an opportunity to meet with President Trump and other national leaders.
He added, "It might be a good meeting if you met only with people who shared your views, but nothing would happen," emphasizing, "To solve problems, you have to meet with people who disagree with you or with whom you are in conflict."
If President Trump and President Putin meet at the G20 summit, it would be their first face-to-face meeting since the summit held in Anchorage, Alaska, last August. The talks drew attention as a possible breakthrough toward ending the war in Ukraine, but did not produce a clear solution. If Putin attends this year's summit, Trump is expected to urge an agreement aimed at ending the war.
However, it remains unclear whether Putin will attend. He has not personally attended a G20 summit since 2019. Bloomberg News recently reported that Putin plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China this November but is not expected to attend the G20 summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said that he would attend and meet Putin if Putin attended the G20 summit. Russia responded by telling Zelenskyy to come to Moscow, saying that a meeting at the G20 was impossible. This year's G20 summit will be held on December 14-15 at a golf resort owned by President Trump in Miami, Florida.
If Putin attends, the move could spark diplomatic controversy. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European countries have excluded Russia from international diplomatic forums. Putin's sitting alongside Western leaders could itself be seen as signaling recognition of Russia as a normal member of the international community.

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