United Nations, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The United States has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 Summit in December, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday, opening the possibility of contact between Putin and US President Donald Trump while stressing that no new bilateral summit between the two leaders has been discussed.
“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. He said Washington hoped Putin would accept the invitation, as the gathering would provide an opportunity for him to interact with Trump and other world leaders.
Rubio did not say whether Putin had accepted the invitation or whether a separate bilateral meeting was being arranged. Asked if the US wanted another Trump-Putin summit, he said: “That hasn’t been discussed.”
Rubio said the two presidents could meet if Putin attended the G20 and there was a specific purpose for such a meeting. Otherwise, he said, the summit itself would provide an opportunity for the leaders to speak.
He added that the Trump administration remained open to engagement with Moscow as it pursued efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Rubio said Trump was willing to meet leaders even when there were disagreements, but such meetings needed preparation to produce meaningful results. His preference, he said, was for talks that delivered an outcome rather than a meeting held simply because the leaders were attending the same gathering.
The secretary of state also said Trump and Putin had spoken by telephone several times since Trump took office, estimating that the two had spoken at least a dozen times, although he did not have an exact count.
Rubio’s comments came amid continued US diplomatic efforts concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He said both sides had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering grain and energy infrastructure, while acknowledging that reaching such an arrangement would be difficult.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had discussed the proposal with US officials, Rubio said. He added that the issue had also been raised during talks involving US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow. Washington, he said, would be prepared to help if it could play a constructive role.
Rubio stressed that a limited ceasefire would not end the war but could reduce some of its wider effects and potentially serve as a starting point for broader negotiations.
Energy infrastructure remains a major obstacle. Rubio said Ukraine had targeted Russian oil and gas facilities that generate revenue for Moscow, while Russia had targeted Ukraine’s electricity grid as winter approached.
The G20 brings together major economies including the US, Russia, India and China, with leaders using the forum and meetings on its sidelines for diplomatic discussions.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has had wider effects on global energy and food markets, adding significance to efforts to limit attacks on those sectors.
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