Senators urge Trump to revoke Putin’s G20 summit invitation - WP
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
On Thursday, September 24, a bipartisan group of 14 senators urged US President Donald Trump to revoke the invitation to Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the G20 summit in Miami in December, reports The Washington Post.
Lawmakers from the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees emphasized that the invitation legitimizes Russia's attack on Ukraine.
"Allowing him to participate in a G20 Summit in the United States raises serious concerns about legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets every day," the senators wrote in a letter.
They noted that Putin, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and other members of the Russian delegation are under US sanctions for their involvement in activities deemed a threat to national security.
The lawmakers explained that the Russian leader may have little incentive to agree to a ceasefire if he is not isolated from the international community.
The Washington Post added that the appeal to Trump was initiated by Senators Roger Wicker (Republican) and Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat), and the letter was also signed by six other Republican and Democratic senators.
Background
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US had invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, scheduled for May 14–15 in Miami.
Following this, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow welcomes the invitation, adding that the matter would be considered through diplomatic channels.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that the upcoming G20 summit could serve as a platform for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia. He emphasized that Kyiv is ready to support such a negotiation format.
