In a joint letter, U.S. senators have voiced strong opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s possible participation in the upcoming G20 summit, arguing that it would serve to legitimize and normalize the Russian government amidst ongoing attacks on Ukrainian civilians. They emphasized that “President Putin is solely responsible for initiating Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” raising serious concerns about his presence.
The letter, initiated by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker and prominent Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen, was signed by an equal number of six Democrats and six Republicans. The senators noted that both Putin and other members of the Russian delegation, including Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, are subject to U.S. sanctions. They warned that if not isolated from the international community, Putin might show less interest in negotiating a ceasefire with Ukraine.
The invitation for Putin to attend the summit was announced on Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described it as an opportunity for Putin to engage not only with him but also with other world leaders. While the Kremlin acknowledged the invitation, it has not yet confirmed whether Putin will attend.
In related context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his willingness to meet with Putin in the U.S. during the G20 summit, should he attend. However, reports from Bloomberg suggest that Putin is likely to skip the G20, especially with Trump also attending, as he usually avoids multilateral forums where he risks facing Western allies of Ukraine from Europe, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.
