Putin invited to Miami G20 as Trump’s diplomatic thaw with Russia continues

Trump invites Putin to G20 summit in Miami

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has invited his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to attend the G20 summit in Miami.

The United States of America’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed, formalising a move that has been in the works for months and marks a further easing of Putin’s diplomatic isolation.

ValidViewNetwork can confirm that the summit is scheduled for December 14-15 at Trump’s Doral golf resort in Florida, with the United States hosting the gathering of the world’s largest economies for the first time in nearly two decades.

A saga that has played out for months

ADVERTISEMENT

This is not a sudden decision. As far back as April, US officials confirmed that Washington intended to invite Putin, even as Trump himself claimed at the time he was unaware of any formal move and doubted the Russian leader would actually show up.

Now September, Trump had softened that posture further, telling reporters he would “love” to see both Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend, even if only as observers.

According to reports gotten by ValidViewNetwork, Putin has not attended a G20 summit in person since 2019, largely due to the fallout from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and a subsequent International Criminal Court arrest warrant, a warrant the US, notably, is not bound to enforce since it is not an ICC member state.

Putin’s potential presence at a summit on American soil would be one of the most striking diplomatic images of Trump’s second term.

What comes next

ValidViewNetwork gathered that the Kremlin has yet to confirm Putin’s attendance, with Russian officials in the past saying a decision on the format of their participation would come closer to the summit date.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Trump has repeatedly blamed for the stalled peace process, is expected to be watching the developments closely. ValidViewNetwork reports.