The United States will invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 Summit in Miami in December, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
Rubio made the announcement after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Russia remains a member of the G20, a major international economic forum, despite being expelled from the G8 following its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. If Putin attends, it would be his second visit to the US during President Donald Trump's second term. His first visit in nearly a decade took place in August 2025, when he travelled to Alaska for talks with Trump on the war in Ukraine. The meeting did not produce any major breakthroughs. Trump said in September 2025 that he would "love" to host Putin at the following year's G20 summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had also indicated that he would be willing to meet Putin at the summit. In an interview with German media published on 12 September, Zelenskyy said: "We have to meet, to speak and make decisions."
Marco Rubio on Russia:
We’ve invited President Putin to the G20. We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with Trump, but with other world leaders.
We hope that’s an invitation he will accept. pic.twitter.com/e0GSz7Y8gm— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 23, 2026
Zelenskyy Calls for Energy Ceasefire
This comes after Zelenskyy, following a meeting with Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York, said Ukraine was ready for an agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure. "We are ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire," he said on Tuesday, adding that he did not know Russia's position.
"We are ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia does not attack our energy infrastructure," he added.
The proposal comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to carry out airstrikes, raising concerns about the impact of the conflict on Ukraine's energy supplies ahead of winter.
Zelenskyy said he hoped the war could end before winter and that the Trump administration would help bring the conflict to a close. "I hope we will end this war, and President Trump will help us end this war," he said during the meeting. "I think we need to do this as quick as possible — before winter," he added.
Trump nodded and repeated the Ukrainian president's words in agreement.
Zelenskyy-Trump Meeting at UN
After the meeting, Zelenskyy described his discussions with Trump as "positive and productive". "Both the U.S. and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter," he wrote on X.
He said the two leaders had discussed possible "de-escalatory steps" that could help create a path towards diplomacy. The Ukrainian president also said teams from both countries were continuing to work on launching production of Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine. "This is what will help protect lives, should Russia spurn the negotiations and keep betting on ballistic missile terror against our people this winter and beyond," he wrote.
The discussions also covered a winter package of air defence support for Ukraine, along with other bilateral and multilateral issues.
Trump Says Putin Willing to Meet Zelenskyy
Trump said he believed Putin would agree to meet Zelenskyy. "He'll meet. He's willing to meet. He wants to see the war end," he told reporters.
Putin and Zelenskyy have not met face to face in seven years. Russia did not immediately respond to the remarks.
The meeting in New York followed a telephone conversation between Trump and Zelenskyy over the weekend. The Ukrainian president had previously said he planned to discuss "de-escalation proposals" with the US president during the UN gathering.
The meeting took place as efforts to restart negotiations between Russia and Ukraine continue to face difficulties. Earlier this month, Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visited Ukraine after meeting Putin in Moscow.
However, the peace process has made limited progress, while the Trump administration has also been focused on the war with Iran.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has continued for nearly five years, has seen an intensifying campaign of airstrikes. Both sides are seeking to strengthen their positions ahead of any potential settlement talks.
