Overview
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invitation after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
- The Kremlin said it “appreciates” the offer and will study it through diplomatic channels but has not decided whether President Vladimir Putin will attend in person or participate virtually.
- U.S. officials said the invitation does not mean a bilateral meeting between President Trump and Putin has been arranged and that any leaders’ meeting would require a clear, outcome-driven purpose.
- Washington is simultaneously pushing Moscow and Kyiv to consider a limited cease-fire focused on attacks on energy infrastructure, a proposal Ukraine’s president said Kyiv would match if Russia halted strikes.
- The invite drew sharp criticism from European leaders and some Republican lawmakers who warn hosting Putin risks normalizing Russian aggression, and Putin has not attended an in-person G20 since 2019.