Donald Trump Invites Vladimir Putin to G20 Summit

President Donald Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 leaders summit on December 14-15 at his Doral golf club in Miami, Florida. This marks the first time Putin has been offered a spot at major international talks since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Trump defended the move as part of a strategy to end the conflict, a position complemented by his recent decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports to lower energy prices before the November midterm elections.

The invitation, confirmed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has drawn sharp criticism from the European Union and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas condemned the move, stating it was the wrong path to normalize leaders who start wars. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed feelings of betrayal, prompting Trump to suggest that Ukraine needs a new president.

While the Kremlin expressed gratitude, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described speculation about Putin's travel as premature and stated that Russia has not yet decided if the president will attend. Peskov also dismissed the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky in Miami. The diplomatic shift follows several visits to Moscow by presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Separately, Trump overruled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to block the planned livestreaming of the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Additionally, the administration is attempting to strip U.S. citizenship from Representative Ilhan Omar following a Homeland Security raid on her home.