Rubio says US invited Putin to G20 summit in Miami

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that the United States has formally invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 Summit in Miami this December, a move that could set the stage for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on American soil.

The announcement came after Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The closed-door talks, which began without opening statements to the media, were expected to cover bilateral relations and efforts to end the war in Ukraine.aa+1

An Invitation Months in the Making

"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," Rubio told journalists following the meeting. "We remain open to engaging."kyivindependent

The formal invitation follows months of public deliberation. The Washington Post reported in April that the Trump administration intended to invite Putin but had not yet sent the invitation. As recently as Sept. 2, Trump said he had not decided whether to extend one. The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for Dec. 14–15 at Trump National Doral Miami.wikipedia+2

If Putin accepts, it would mark his second visit to the United States during Trump's second term. Putin traveled to Alaska in August 2025 for talks on the war in Ukraine that did not produce a breakthrough. Putin has not attended a G20 summit since 2019.english.nv+1

Zelensky Signals Willingness to Meet

The invitation carries added weight given Zelensky's public willingness to meet Putin at the summit. In an interview with DW published on Sept. 12, Zelensky said, "We have to come. We have to meet, talk and make a decision."english.nv

The Kremlin has so far been noncommittal. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that Moscow had not yet decided whether Putin would travel to Miami, and foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said the possibility "has not even been discussed" in the Kremlin.themoscowtimes

Broader Diplomatic Context

Wednesday's Rubio-Lavrov meeting was their first since July 22, when they spoke on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings in Manila. Diplomatic contacts between Washington and Moscow have intensified since Trump took office, though efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine have yet to yield results.aa

Whether Putin ultimately accepts remains uncertain, but the formal invitation raises the prospect of the most consequential gathering of wartime leaders on U.S. soil in years.