Donald Trump said on Thursday that he “doubts” his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will attend the G20 summit scheduled in December in Florida. “To be honest, I doubt he will come,” said the American president who was asked by a journalist if the Russian president was invited.
“I believe we should talk to everyone,” added Donald Trump without confirming that an invitation had been issued. Furthermore, a senior White House official confirmed to AFP later on Thursday that Russia would indeed be invited to the G20 summit.
Moscow, on its part, did not immediately comment on whether Vladimir Putin would be present in person. “No formal invitation has been issued yet but Russia is a member of the G20 and will be invited to attend ministerial meetings and the leaders’ summit,” said an anonymous source, referring to the event planned at a golf resort owned by the Trump family.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, as cited by Russian agencies, had stated on Wednesday that his country had been invited to participate in the summit “at the highest level.” On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov specified that the question of President Putin’s possible participation had not yet been decided.
Putin Facing an Arrest Warrant
“No decision of this type has been made yet, but Russia has participated in every summit at the appropriate level,” said Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing. “As the summit approaches, a decision will be made on the format of our participation.”
Currently facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “war crimes” in the context of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin did not attend the previous G20 summit in Johannesburg in November 2025.
His economic advisor, Maxim Oreshkin, represented Moscow in South Africa. The United States holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year, a forum for economic cooperation between the world’s major developed and emerging countries.
