The United States will invite President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami this December, a senior U.S. official confirmed Thursday, though President Donald Trump later said he doubts the Russian leader will accept the invitation.
The United States is the 2026 host of the Group of 20, and Trump has promised a lavish summit of leaders on December 14-15 at his National Doral resort in Florida.
“All G20 members will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit,” a senior Trump administration official said.
Despite the confirmation, Trump himself appeared skeptical about the Putin invite during an exchange with reporters later in the day.
“I don’t know that he’s coming. I doubt he’d come, to be honest with you,” Trump said before adding that he would welcome the visit. “If he came, it would probably be very helpful.”
Trump renewed criticism of former President Barack Obama for booting Russia out of the G8 in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea. “President Putin, he was very offended by that — rightfully,” Trump said.
Earlier, the Kremlin said Putin had not yet decided if he would attend this year’s G20 summit in Miami.
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin has been largely shunned by Western countries. However, since returning to the White House last year, Trump has sought to bridge the diplomatic divide as part of his push to end the war in Ukraine.
Putin last attended a G20 summit in person in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic. More recently, he has opted to attend the annual event via video link due to an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest.
The United States is not a member of the ICC and thus is not obligated to detain the Russian leader if he sets foot on American soil. Putin and Trump met in person in Alaska last August as part of negotiations to end the Ukraine war.
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