Trump plans to invite Putin to G20 summit in Miami, Washington Post
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The United States plans to invite Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to the G20 leaders' summit, which is set to take place in December at US President Donald Trump's Doral golf club in Miami, according to The Washington Post.
According to the media, citing a statement from the US State Department, Donald Trump "has been clear that Russia is welcome to attend all G20 meetings as the United States focuses on delivering a successful and productive summit."
However, it is not specified whether this was an exclusive comment from Trump or made elsewhere. At the same time, the outlet cites a US administration official who told reporters that no invitation has been sent yet.
"No formal invitations have been issued at this time, but Russia is a G20 member and will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit," the official said.
Meanwhile, at around 1:00 a.m. Kyiv time on April 24, US President Donald Trump once again spoke to the press in the Oval Office. He confirmed that no invitation has been sent so far, but added:
"No, but if he came, it would probably be very helpful,” the US leader said.
Earlier on Thursday, April 23, Russian officials claimed that Putin had allegedly been invited to the summit in Miami, but did not provide a clear answer on whether he would attend.
"Russia has participated in all summits at the appropriate level," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, adding that "a decision on the format of our participation will be made closer to the summit."
G20 summit and Trump's remarks on Putin
It is worth noting that the first reports suggesting that Russia had allegedly been invited to the US-hosted summit came overnight from Russia's Foreign Ministry.
According to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, Russia has been invited to participate at the highest level, though he also said that the final decision would be made closer to the date.
Recently, amid the war with Iran, the US President also made several remarks about Putin, Europe, and NATO. According to Trump, Putin is afraid of the United States and American weapons. At the same time, Trump claimed that the Kremlin leader is not afraid of NATO, describing the alliance as a "paper tiger."
