Putin may attend G20 meeting if 'there's consensus and it's useful' - Blinken

"If there’s a consensus among all the members and if it’s useful, yes. In the current situation, it’s hard to see how it could be useful and how there could be a consensus among all the members," he said.

Responding to a question about a possible handshake between Putin and US President Joe Biden, Blinken noted that the idea was never about excluding Russia or Kremlin head Vladimir Putin from the G20.

"It’s the actions, it’s the policy of Russia and of Mr. Putin that triggers what happens in terms of Russia’s relations with the G20 or with the G7, with the world. So, if policy changes, we don’t rule anything out (a handshake between Putin and Biden - ed.). The problem is that we don’t have any proof, for the moment, that policy is changing," said the US Secretary of State.

He also expressed hope that the day will come, "and that day will come sooner rather than later when relations between our countries and Russia will be quite different from the current one".

"Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and it’s not the case because of Mr. Putin’s policies. Russia is not a pariah, and for us, it’s not so much the individuals, the personalities, that count, it’s the policy pursued by a country," Blinken added.

Putin's participation in the G20

At the end of March, French President Emmanuel Macron presumed Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's participation in the G20 leaders' meeting in November in Brazil, if it proves to be "useful," but he stressed that the invitation of the dictator must be supported by all members of the G20.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin. Putin planned to participate in the BRICS summit in August of last year. South Africa even considered introducing a bill that would grant immunity from legal prosecution to Putin.

But Putin did not personally attend the summit, and South Africa asked him not to come to the BRICS summit but to participate via Zoom.