The Trump administration has formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Group of 20 summit in Miami this December, a move that could bring the Russian leader back to the international stage despite ongoing friction over the war in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invitation on Wednesday, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. "We've invited President Putin to the G20," Rubio said. He framed the summit as a potential venue for direct engagement, adding, "We think it's an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders. We hope that's an invitation he'll accept. There's an opportunity in December if that happens."
The summit is scheduled for Dec. 14-15 at Trump National Doral Miami, the president's golf resort. The choice of venue has already drawn scrutiny, and the prospect of Putin attending adds a new layer of diplomatic complexity.
Rubio, who also serves as Trump's national security adviser, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday. According to a State Department readout, the two discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and the broader U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship. The meeting signals that Washington is keeping channels open with Moscow even as tensions remain high.
The invitation comes despite U.S. sanctions on Putin imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Trump administration has already made exceptions for Putin to travel to the U.S. In August 2025, Putin was allowed to attend a summit with Trump in Alaska. Earlier this year, Russia's sanctioned Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was permitted to participate in the G20 finance ministerial in Asheville, N.C., though Ukraine's allies in the group objected and managed to keep him out of the official family photo.
The move is part of Trump's broader effort to reposition the U.S. as a neutral broker in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. His administration has extended favors to Moscow while pressing Kyiv to make concessions to end the fighting. The U.S. is currently pursuing at least a limited ceasefire that would halt attacks on energy infrastructure on both sides.
Critics may see the invitation as legitimizing Putin's aggression, but the administration appears to view it as a pragmatic step toward de-escalation. The G20 summit could provide a rare opportunity for face-to-face talks between Putin and Western leaders, though it remains unclear whether Putin will accept.
The invitation also comes amid broader diplomatic maneuvering at the UN. Trump has been pressing world leaders on various fronts, including urging Xi Jinping to address human rights concerns. The G20 summit in Miami will be a test of whether the administration can balance its outreach to Russia with its commitments to allies.
As the summit approaches, the world will be watching to see if Putin accepts the invitation and what that might mean for the future of the war in Ukraine and U.S.-Russia relations.
