The key facts

  • The US has officially invited Russia to the G20 summit in Miami and wants to see Putin, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said
  • The composition of the Russian delegation has not yet been determined — the decision is usually made on the eve of the event
  • Russia intends to take an active part and be represented at a high level

Invitation received, delegation not yet determined

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Pankin told TASSthat the American side has officially invited Russia to the G20 summit in Miami and has repeatedly stated publicly that it would like to see Russian President Vladimir Putin at the event. At the same time, the composition of the Russian delegation has not yet been determined, according to him: such a decision is usually made on the eve of the summit.

Moscow's position and context

Pankin assured that the Russian side 'intends to take an active part in the summit' and 'in any case will be represented at a high level.' Thus, at this point only the invitation itself and the general level of participation have been confirmed, but not the personal composition of the delegation and not Putin's participation.

What was said earlier

On October 31, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statedthat President Donald Trump considers Russia's participation in G20 discussions important, and that Washington and Moscow should maintain contacts at a certain level regardless of disagreements — due to the risk of escalation. In addition, the American side's representative Wadephul previously said that he would not avoid a joint photo with Sergey Lavrov at summits. These statements are consistent with Pankin's report about the invitation; however, the question of who will exactly lead the Russian delegation remains open until the decision that Moscow, according to the diplomat, will make on the eve of the event.