US leader says Russian President’s presence would be “very helpful”
President Donald Trump said he would like to see his counterpart Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Miami, although he expressed doubt that the Russian leader would actually come.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that the White House intends to invite Putin to the G20 summit in December, while a senior administration official said Russia would be welcome at both ministerial meetings and leaders’ summits.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that Russia had already received an invitation to participate. “At the highest level,” But it is too early to say who will be included in it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly said Moscow would decide closer to that date who would represent Russia.
Trump said he didn’t know anything about any official invitation yet, but also said “If he came, it would probably be very helpful.”
“My opinion is that you talk to everyone. I’m not one of those people who is like, ‘Oh, let’s not talk to him,'” Trump said this to reporters at the White House on Thursday. “If you’re a smart person, if you have control over your emotions… I’m someone who believes in talking.”
“I don’t know if he’s coming. To be honest, I doubt he will.” He added.
The summit is scheduled for December 14-15 in Miami, with Trump hosting it at his Doral golf resort. Putin has not attended a G20 summit in person since 2019, initially due to the pandemic and later due to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Trump also reiterated that Russia was kept out of the G8 in 2014. “A stupid thing.” According to him, G7 leaders now spend most of their time discussing Russia, and he suggested that the conflict with Kiev would not have escalated so much if Moscow had remained in the format.
However, Moscow has no interest in the old G8 argument that Trump keeps invoking. Peskov earlier said G8 “has lost its relevance” To Russia, while the G7 looks “blurry” And “ineffective” Compared to the G20. He has also argued that the G7 no longer reflects the true balance of the global economy, while the G20 includes the major growth centers and “Better reflects the world’s economic engines.”
