Trump intends to invite Putin to G-20 summit in Miami, officials say

The United States intends to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Group of 20 leaders’ summit scheduled for December at President Donald Trump’s Doral golf resort in Miami, though the invitation has not yet been sent, administration officials said Thursday.

In a statement, the State Department said that President Donald Trump “has been clear that Russia is welcome to attend all G-20 meetings as the United States focuses on delivering a successful and productive summit.”

“No formal invitations have been issued at this time, but Russia is a G-20 member and will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit,” said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to brief the news media.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said that he was not aware of an invitation to Putin but that he would not oppose it.

“If he came it would probably be very helpful,” the president said, later adding that he was “of the opinion that you talk to everybody.” He said, however, that he doubted Putin would attend if invited.

The G-20 is an intergovernmental forum encompassing representatives of 19 of the world’s largest economies, plus the European Union and the African Union. The summit, held annually, is an opportunity for world leaders to discuss pressing global issues.

Russia has skipped in-person attendance since 2019, initially because of the coronavirus pandemic and then later because of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and a subsequent arrest warrant for Putin that was issued by the International Criminal Court. Putin has been accused of war crimes in connection with the Ukraine war.

President Joe Biden, Trump’s predecessor, said in 2022 that he would support removing Russia from the G-20. Ukraine is not a G-20 member, though it has attended some meetings as a guest.

Russian officials had said earlier Thursday that Putin was invited to the summit in Miami but that it was not clear if he would attend.

“Russia has participated in every summit at the appropriate level,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters, adding that a “decision on the format of our participation will be made closer to the summit.”

Speaking to Russian media, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that the United States had extended an invitation “at the highest level” but, noting that the event was months away, it was not clear if it would be accepted.

“God knows what will happen before then,” Pankin said, according to Ria Novosti.

Despite widespread international condemnation of Putin since his invasion of Ukraine, Trump has sought to find better relations with the Russian leader. Trump has suggested that he could use his relationship with Putin to end the war in Ukraine, which has lasted for more than four years.

Trump invited Putin to Anchorage, Alaska, last summer for talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine. The talks, which marked the first time the Russian leader had been invited to the United States outside the United Nations since 2007, ended with no sign of an agreement.

Neither Trump nor Putin attended last year’s G-20 leader’s summit, which was hosted by South Africa. Trump had boycotted the event, claiming that South Africa was persecuting its white minority. Trump said last year he would not invite South Africa to the 2026 event, hosted in the United States, for the same reason.

Trump announced his intention to host the G-20 at his resort in Florida despite criticism of an arrangement that would see foreign governments paying a business he owned.

At the time, Trump was noncommittal about whether Putin or China’s Xi Jinping would be invited, stating incorrectly that they may be forced to attend as “observers.”

In his first term, Trump had repeatedly called for Russia to be allowed to rejoin the smaller Group of Seven industrial nations, arguing in 2019 it was “because a lot of the things we talk about have to do with Russia.” Russia was expelled from the G-7 in 2014 after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region.