14 U.S. senators call on Trump to rescind Putin's G20 invitation

A bipartisan group of 14 U.S. senators has sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to withdraw the invitation extended to Vladimir Putin for the G20 summit set to take place in Miami this December, the Washington Post reported.

In the letter, the senators stated that Putin bears full responsibility for Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine. They warned that allowing him to take part in a G20 summit held on American soil raises serious concerns, since it risks legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues daily attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.

The lawmakers also argued that Putin would have little reason to accept a ceasefire unless he faces genuine isolation from the international community.

The effort was spearheaded by Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, with six additional Democrats and six additional Republicans co-signing the letter.

Rubio's announcement and the Kremlin's response

On September 23, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the United States had invited Putin to the G20 summit in Miami. The Kremlin responded that it appreciated the invitation but had not yet decided whether Putin would actually travel to the U.S.

In late August, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov took part in a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors for the first time since the war began, after the Trump administration chose to include Russia in the gathering. European delegations objected to his presence at the meeting.