US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the summit would be an opportunity for the Russian president to interact with world leaders.
Published September 23, 2026
US President Donald Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Group of 20 summit in Miami, Florida, the latest step aimed at building ties between the two countries amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that President Putin had been invited to the December summit and said he expected the Russian leader to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with world leaders.
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“To solve problems, you have to meet people with whom you disagree and who may have problems,” Rubio says. “So we invited President Putin to the G20.”
“We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president, but with other world leaders. We hope it’s an invitation he accepts,” Rubio said.
Rubio’s remarks came after he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is currently being held in New York City.
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the world to put more economic pressure on Russia.
“If someone gives Russia more money through trade, it will give this war more time. And that is exactly why we insist on trade restrictions with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russian revenues ourselves,” he said, adding that he was skeptical that Russia had any genuine interest in taking steps that could end the war.
President Trump has sought in vain for an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war that began with a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian authorities have called for a moratorium on strikes targeting energy infrastructure and measures to facilitate shipping to the Black Sea. Russia has shown little sign of interest in such a deal.
“We have no intention of suspending our special military operations,” Foreign Minister Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday, accusing Europe of wanting to suspend the fighting in order to “attack the Kiev regime with weapons.”
But Rubio remained optimistic about the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“I think both sides are interested in a limited ceasefire that includes grain and energy,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not easy either.”
President Zelensky told reporters that Kiev remains open to a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.
“We are waiting for Russia’s response,” he said, adding that his country is “ready to ensure safe transport and food security in the Black Sea if Russia is also prepared to take serious steps to de-escalate tensions.”
“You have to start somewhere,” he added.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Putin on charges of war crimes for deporting Ukrainian children to Russian territory. The arrest warrant requires member states to arrest Putin if he travels to their countries, but courts have no mechanism to enforce it. The United States is not a member of the ICC.
