US President Donald Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders scheduled to hold in Miami in December, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed.
Rubio disclosed the invitation on Wednesday in New York, saying direct engagement with leaders with whom the United States has disagreements could help efforts to resolve international disputes.
“In order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with,” Rubio told reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
He said the United States viewed the G20 summit as an opportunity for Putin to engage not only with Trump but also with other world leaders, adding that Washington hoped the Russian president would accept the invitation.
The development comes as the Trump administration continues diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Rubio’s meeting with Lavrov in New York also took place ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled address to the United Nations.
Zelensky is expected to renew calls for stronger air-defence support for Ukraine amid continued Russian drone and missile attacks.
Meanwhile, Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that Russia had no plans to suspend its military operation in Ukraine, which has continued for more than four years.
Lavrov accused European countries of seeking to use any pause in the fighting to increase military support for Kyiv.
Responding after the Russian foreign minister, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Lavrov’s remarks demonstrated Moscow’s position on the conflict. Sybiga also warned that Russia’s confrontation with Europe had moved beyond hybrid measures and called it a wider international concern.
