Trump invites Putin to Miami G20: Why that matters

The Trump administration has asked Vladimir Putin to join world leaders at the G20 gathering in Miami this December, America's top diplomat Marco Rubio disclosed this week, as Washington keeps pressing to close out the conflict in Ukraine. Rubio made the announcement after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in New York during the UN General Assembly, saying he hoped Putin would use the summit to engage with US and world leaders alike. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded Thursday that no decision had been made on attending, calling it too soon to say what the two presidents might discuss, though he said Moscow valued the invitation and remains focused on a full peace settlement rather than a temporary ceasefire, according to Al Jazeera.

Trump and Putin last met in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025, but reached no deal on Ukraine, and Putin has not visited the contiguous United States since invading in 2022. Attending in Miami would mark his first in-person G20 appearance since 2019; he took part virtually in 2021 and sent Lavrov in his place in 2023.

Relations remain strained despite the outreach. Trump recently signed sanctions targeting Russian energy buyers, officials and banks, but also pressed Ukraine toward an energy truce, blaming the war for high US diesel prices; Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would halt strikes if Moscow did too. Observers Marnie Howlett and Amanda Paul said Trump was pressuring the wrong side, since Russia bears responsibility for ending the war.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Al Jazeera’s reporting. Read the full story at Al Jazeera →