Vladimir Putin could return to the United States for the second time during Donald Trump’s presidential term.
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Following last year’s meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, where Trump invited him for talks on a peace plan for Ukraine, the Russian president could travel this time to Miami. Sources say Putin may receive an invitation to the G20 leaders’ summit, which will be held in Florida in mid-December.
Two people familiar with the situation said that no final decision has yet been made. However, the White House is working to secure the Kremlin chief’s participation and, in this context, has also informed the Chinese side. So far, Trump has not made such an invitation public.
Recently asked whether Putin could attend the summit, the US president replied: “I haven’t thought about it yet.” His presence at the G20 table would carry significant symbolic weight for Moscow, as it would diminish Russia’s international isolation, particularly following the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The development is expected to face strong opposition from European G20 member states, as well as Canada, Japan, Australia and South Korea. For these countries, Putin’s return to the meeting of world leaders without any concessions to Ukraine would be seen as a provocation. An indication that this possibility is being taken seriously emerged a few days ago in Asheville, North Carolina, where the US administration also invited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to the G20 finance ministers’ meeting.
This was the first time that a G20 chaired by a Western democracy had allowed the return of a Russian delegation, a decision that angered European ministers. Experts believe Trump aims to improve relations with Moscow, particularly as part of a strategy to exert maximum economic pressure on Iran.
Russia remains Iran’s main supplier of weapons and food products. The White House is trying to persuade the Kremlin to limit its support for Tehran. On this issue, CIA Director John Ratcliffe is believed to have held talks with his Russian counterparts during his surprise visit to Moscow at the end of August.
