Vladimir Putin may set foot in the United States for the second time during Donald Trump's presidency.
After last year's meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, where Trump invited him to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine, this time the destination could be Miami. Putin is likely to receive an invitation to the G20 leaders' summit, which will be held in Florida in mid-December.
According to two people familiar with the situation, there is no final decision yet, but the White House is working to ensure the Russian president's participation and is keeping the Chinese side informed. Trump has not publicly confirmed the invitation.
Asked recently about the possibility of Putin's participation in the summit, he replied:
“I haven’t thought about it yet.” Putin’s return to the G20 table would have great symbolic significance for Moscow, as it would weaken Russia’s international isolation, especially after the annexation of Crimea and the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But his participation is expected to provoke strong reactions from the European countries of the G20, as well as from Canada, Japan, Australia and South Korea. For these countries, the return of Putin to the table of world leaders, without making any concessions on Ukraine, would be considered a provocation. A signal that this scenario is real came a few days ago in Asheville, North Carolina, where the US administration invited Russian Minister Anton Siluanov to the meeting of G20 Finance Ministers.
It was the first time a G20 led by a Western democracy had brought back a Russian delegation, angering European ministers. Experts say Trump has an interest in improving relations with Moscow, particularly as part of his strategy to exert maximum economic pressure on Iran.
Russia is Iran's main supplier of weapons and food. The White House is trying to persuade the Kremlin to limit support for Tehran, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe is believed to have discussed the issue with his Russian counterparts during his surprise visit to Moscow in late August.
