What happened
A group of 14 US senators has urged President Donald Trump to rescind an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Miami in December. The senators expressed concern that allowing Putin to participate in the summit would legitimize and normalize the Russian government, which continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets.
The senators' letter, released on September 25, also asked the administration to keep sanctioned Russian officials out of remaining G20 events on US soil. They cited reports that Russia has helped Iran's military target American service members in the Middle East and highlighted a perceived rise in Russian hybrid warfare across Europe.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the leaders' invitation on September 23, after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the UN General Assembly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was grateful for the invitation and would make a decision via diplomatic channels.
The senators praised the president's sanctions regime against Russia but emphasized that if Putin and his government are not isolated on the international stage, there is no incentive for Russia to agree to a ceasefire. Russia was never dropped from the G20, even after it was suspended from the G7 in 2014.
