Kumar Bahukhandi
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Rubio confirmed that the United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 Summit in Miami in December. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Pool/AFP
Washington sees the gathering as an opportunity for the Russian President to engage with Donald Trump and other world leaders as diplomatic efforts continue over the Ukraine war
Key Highlights
- The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 Summit in Miami in December 2026.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invitation after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Rubio said Washington hopes Putin will accept and described the summit as an opportunity for engagement with President Donald Trump and other leaders.
- A separate Trump-Putin meeting at the G20 has not been confirmed. Rubio said any useful summit would require preparatory work and should aim for a tangible outcome.
- The Kremlin has acknowledged the invitation and said a decision would be worked out through diplomatic channels.
- Putin has not attended a G20 leaders’ summit in person since 2019, although he participated virtually in 2023.
New York: The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 Summit in Miami this December, potentially creating another opportunity for high-level talks with US President Donald Trump as diplomatic efforts continue over the Russia-Ukraine war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invitation on Wednesday after holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” Rubio told reporters, adding that Washington viewed the gathering as an opportunity for the Russian leader to engage not only with Trump but also with other world leaders.
Rubio said the United States hoped Putin would accept the invitation.
G20 Could Provide Opening for Trump-Putin Talks
The invitation comes as Washington continues efforts to explore ways of reducing the fighting and eventually ending the war in Ukraine.
Rubio, however, stopped short of announcing a bilateral Trump-Putin meeting in Miami. He said an ideal meeting would be one capable of producing a result and that substantial preparatory work would be required beforehand. If Putin attends the G20, the summit would nevertheless provide an opportunity for the two leaders to interact, he said.
Trump and Putin last met in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025 for talks focused on the Ukraine conflict, but that meeting did not produce a major breakthrough.
Rubio defended Washington’s willingness to maintain direct contact with Moscow, arguing that resolving international disputes requires engagement with governments with which the United States disagrees.
Kremlin Considering Invitation
Moscow has not yet confirmed Putin’s attendance.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was appreciative of the invitation and would consider it.
“We will make a decision and work through it via diplomatic channels,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
Russia remains a member of the G20, although Putin has stayed away from its leaders’ summits in person since 2019. He participated virtually in one session of the 2023 summit.
The possibility of Putin travelling to Miami therefore carries significance beyond the regular G20 agenda, particularly as the Ukraine conflict continues and Washington seeks to keep diplomatic channels with Moscow open.
For now, however, the invitation represents an opportunity for dialogue rather than confirmation of either Putin’s attendance or another Trump-Putin summit.
