Germany criticizes US invitation of Putin to G20 summit

The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the December G20 summit in Miami, prompting a critical response from Germany. A German government spokesperson stated that relations with Russia cannot be treated as normal. German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Berlin has acknowledged the American invitation, but emphasized that, given the war in Ukraine, relations with Russia cannot be considered normal. The invitation was announced Wednesday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed hope Putin would attend. Russia remains a G20 member, though Putin last attended personally in 2019, before the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Western leaders had previously favored diplomatic isolation of Russia, but the Trump administration has abandoned this approach. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no decision on participation has been made yet.