Journalist McDonald suggested the G20 summit in Manchester could fail over Burnham's refusal to invite Putin

Warning of a possible boycott

Irish journalist Brian McDonald warned British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the social network X about the consequences of the decision not to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, which will be held in Manchester in November 2027. In his view, a 'preemptive ban' could prompt other BRICS leaders, including Xi Jinping and possibly even Narendra Modi, to stay away as well. If the Chinese chairman and the Indian prime minister do indeed refuse to travel, the summit, McDonald believes, risks turning into a complete fiasco for the United Kingdom. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru.

London's position and context

Burnham himself explained the refusal by the sanctions in force against the Russian leader, but at the same time acknowledged that Russia remains a member of the G20 and that the invitation procedure for the summit has its own peculiarities. McDonald noted that Putin 'has not bothered to attend' the summits since 2019, so he would 'get over' missing Manchester. The journalist doubted that the British prime minister had considered the possible consequences of the decision for the forum. Washington's position provides a contrast: at the end of October, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Donald Trump considers Russia's participation in G20 discussions important, while Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that no decision on Putin's participation in the Miami summit had yet been made.