The key facts
- Zakharova compared Kallas to a scarecrow in the “EU garden,” calling her statements pointless
- Kallas feared that Putin's participation in the G20 would lead to Russia returning to its usual format of participation
- No decision has been made on Putin's personal trip to Miami: the Kremlin will return to the issue after the APEC summit in Shenzhen
An exchange of barbs over the Miami summit
Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson Maria Zakharova in an interview with kp.ru commented on European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas's displeasure over the US decision to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit scheduled for December 14–15 in Miami. “You see, Kallas has become a kind of scarecrow in the ‘EU’s beautiful garden’”, the diplomat said. According to her, scarecrows are usually put up to protect the harvest, but in recent years European politicians themselves have destroyed what they were supposed to guard, and in the European Union “practically nothing is left,” while Kallas “keeps trying to frighten people with her statements, pointlessly and stupidly.” Zakharova also stressed that no one asked the EU diplomacy chief for advice on organizing the summit and that her opinion on the matter interests no one.
What is known about the invitation and the parties' positions
The trigger for the reaction was Kallas's statements about the possible participation of the Russian president in the summit: she voiced concern that Putin's presence at the forum could contribute to Russia returning to its usual format of participation in such events. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially confirmed the invitation — Washington expressed hope that Putin would accept the offer. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov thanked the American side and said the invitation would be worked through. However, no decision has yet been made on the Russian leader's personal trip: presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the Kremlin will return to discussing the matter after the November APEC meeting in Shenzhen, China, noting that the invitation has already been received. Rubio, for his part, said that US President Donald Trump considers Russia's participation in discussions on the G20 platform important, and allowed for separate talks between Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping at the upcoming summits, although a specific schedule of meetings has not yet been agreed.
