US invites Putin to Miami G20; Kremlin signals low odds of attendance

The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami on December 14-15, as announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on September 23 following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, though the invitation does not guarantee Putin's attendance. According to Bloomberg sources close to the Kremlin, Putin plans to attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November, but his participation in the Miami G20 is seen as "very unlikely." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 12 that no decision has been made, while Russian officials reportedly expect little progress in Ukraine peace talks before December. Rubio stated the invitation offers Putin a chance to meet with President Trump and other world leaders, though no bilateral meeting has been arranged. A Putin-Zelensky meeting at the summit was dismissed by Moscow as "impossible," with the Kremlin insisting any such talks occur only in Russia's capital.