The US has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the December G20 summit…reports Asian Lite News Desk
The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in December, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, raising the possibility of a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump.
“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. He said Washington hoped Putin would accept the invitation, as the summit would provide an opportunity for him to speak with Trump and other world leaders.
Rubio did not say whether Putin had accepted the invitation or whether Washington was preparing a bilateral meeting between the two presidents. Asked whether the US wanted another Trump Putin summit, Rubio said: “That hasn’t been discussed.”
Rubio said the two presidents could meet if Putin attended the G20 and there was a specific purpose for such a discussion. Otherwise, he said, the summit would still provide an opportunity for the leaders to speak.
He added that the Trump administration remained open to engagement with Moscow as it sought to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
Rubio said Trump was prepared to meet leaders even when they disagreed on major issues, but argued that such meetings required preparation if they were to deliver a meaningful result.
His preference, Rubio said, was for a meeting to produce an outcome rather than simply take place because the leaders happened to be attending the same event.
The secretary of state also said Trump and Putin had spoken by telephone several times since Trump took office. He estimated that the two leaders had spoken at least a dozen times, while acknowledging that he did not have an exact count.
Rubio’s comments came as US officials continued discussions on the Russia Ukraine war and possible steps to reduce its impact.
He said both Russia and Ukraine had shown interest in a limited ceasefire covering grain and energy infrastructure, although reaching an agreement would be difficult.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had discussed the proposal with US officials, Rubio said. The issue had also been raised during a meeting involving US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.
Washington, Rubio said, would be willing to assist if it could play a constructive role in reaching an arrangement.
He stressed that a limited ceasefire would not bring the war to an end, but could help reduce some of its wider consequences and potentially provide a starting point for negotiations towards a broader settlement.
“That war is going to end, I think everyone acknowledges, with a negotiated agreement,” Rubio said.
Energy infrastructure remains a major obstacle in discussions. Rubio said Ukraine had been targeting Russian oil and gas facilities that generate revenue for Moscow, while Russia had been striking Ukraine’s electricity grid as winter approaches.
Both sides therefore view energy infrastructure as an important element of the conflict, he said.
The G20 brings together major economies, including the United States, Russia, India and China. Its leaders’ meetings also provide opportunities for bilateral discussions alongside the formal summit programme.
Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has had wider consequences for global energy and food markets, making proposals aimed at limiting attacks on those sectors significant beyond the two countries directly involved.
