The United States “hopes” that Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept an invitation to the G20 summit in Miami, Florida, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference. According to him, the White House believes that this is an opportunity for Putin to communicate not only with US President Donald Trump, but also with other world leaders.
The G20 summit will take place December 14-15 at the Trump Golf Club in Miami. The fact that Russia was invited to participate at the highest level became known in April. In September, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow had not yet made a decision on participation in the summit, but ruled out the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Vladimir Zelensky there. The President of Ukraine, on the contrary, spoke out in favor of a meeting with the head of the Kremlin at this event.
Rubio's press conference took place after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived in New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (his speech is expected on September 26). Negotiations between the heads of foreign affairs agencies took place behind closed doors. A brief statement from the State Department following the meeting said that the parties discussed the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and bilateral relations between the United States and Russia.
A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry notes that Lavrov at the meeting “drew attention to the close coordination between the Kyiv regime and its European sponsors.”
“The destructive actions of Kyiv, which deliberately strikes at civilians and cross-border infrastructure facilities, are examined in detail, which leads to the destabilization of world energy markets. The unconditional commitment of the Russian side to achieving the goals of the special military operation, including through a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict based on eliminating its root causes, was confirmed,” the statement said.
The Foreign Ministry added that the negotiations also touched upon the situation in the Middle East, the Transcaucasus, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and also discussed preparations for G20 events.
Rubio said at a press conference that Moscow and Kyiv are interested in a grain deal and a limited energy truce. He added that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict would eventually end through negotiations, but acknowledged that reaching an agreement would not be easy.
“This war will not end on the battlefield,” he said. “The sooner we reach this agreement, the less destruction there will be and the fewer people will die on both sides.”
After this, a message appeared on the Telegram channel of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry that Kyiv agreed to a complete, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and called on Russia to take the same step. However, the post was then updated: it now begins with the fact that Ukraine agreed to this “back in March 2025.”
On Tuesday, at a meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly, Zelensky and Trump announced the need to end the conflict before winter. The US President also allowed another meeting with Putin. The Kremlin expressed readiness for such a dialogue, but noted that there were no specific dates. During his General Assembly speech, Trump said a settlement would happen “faster than many expect.”
Updated, added comment from the Russian Foreign Ministry
