Russia has welcomed a U.S. invitation for President Vladimir Putin to attend a G20 summit in Miami later this year, stating it "truly" appreciates the offer but has not yet determined whether the Russian president will accept.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that the White House extended the invitation for a December meeting, where Putin could potentially hold talks with President Donald Trump. "We think it is an opportunity for him to engage, not just with the president but with other world leaders," Rubio told reporters. "If there is another opportunity for them to meet and there is a purpose behind the meeting, that would be good."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded on Thursday, telling reporters that Moscow values the invitation and that a decision will follow after further review, according to Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
The invitation triggered immediate backlash across Europe. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia could interpret the invite as encouragement to persist in its aggressive policies. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the treatment of Putin "really very, very hard to understand" and argued it was essential that the invitation be discussed with leaders across the 27-nation bloc.
"It's clearly the wrong path to normalize people who are starting wars, who are going against the UN charter, who are killing and giving orders to kill civilians," Kallas told Sky News. "By normalizing this, believe me, we will have more of it around the world."
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine have stalled in recent months as the United States has redirected focus toward its confrontation with Iran. Negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff traveled to Ukraine earlier this month for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking the first such visit by U.S. envoys.
At the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Zelenskyy described Putin as "patient zero" and "the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading further."
Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs over recent months and warned that a harsh winter awaits Moscow if a truce is not reached in the coming weeks. Kyiv also acknowledged it faces another difficult winter period itself. Meanwhile, Trump has urged Ukraine to stop targeting Russian energy infrastructure and floated the prospect of peace talks, even as NATO's chief cautioned that Russia is becoming "increasingly reckless."
