US invites Putin to G20 amid fresh diplomatic push over Ukraine war
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to the G20 summit in the United States in December, describing the gathering as an opportunity for him to engage with US President Donald Trump and other world leaders. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Rubio said the Trump administration remained open to engaging with leaders with whom it disagreed, arguing that direct meetings could help address difficult issues. We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept, that there’s an opportunity in December if that happens,” Rubio said. Rubio’s remarks came after he met Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with the two discussing the Russia-Ukraine war and US-Russia bilateral relations, according to the US State Department. Explaining Trump’s approach to diplomacy, Rubio said the US president was willing to meet people even when there were disagreements between them. “President (Trump) is willing to engage and meet with virtually anyone,” Rubio said, adding that Trump believed that “in order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with. “But if not, maybe if President Putin attends the G20 in December, that will certainly be an opportunity for them to interact and talk,” Rubio said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said Ukraine was ready for a maritime truce in the Black Sea based on proposals from Egypt, India and Turkey.
“So we’ve invited President Putin to the G20. We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the President (Trump), but with other world leaders.