Kremlin Says No Decision Yet on Possible Putin-Trump Summit in December
Moscow: The Kremlin has said there is still no confirmed date or arrangement for another meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, even as Washington has invited Putin to attend the Group of 20 summit in Miami in December.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that both presidents remain open to meeting again, but stressed that no specific plans have been finalized. His comments came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had invited Putin to the December G20 gathering, where the Russian leader could potentially meet Trump.
“We will make a decision and work through it via diplomatic channels,” Peskov said regarding the U.S. invitation, according to Russian news agencies. He also indicated that Moscow was appreciative of the invitation while stopping short of confirming Putin's attendance.
Rubio announced the invitation following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The U.S. secretary of state said Washington viewed the G20 as an opportunity for Putin to engage not only with Trump but also with other world leaders.
“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” Rubio said, adding that the United States hoped Putin would accept the invitation.
The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Miami in December under the U.S. presidency of the group. A possible Putin-Trump meeting on the sidelines of the gathering would come as Washington continues efforts to revive diplomatic engagement over the war in Ukraine.
However, the invitation does not amount to confirmation that Putin will travel to the United States.
Peskov separately said that Putin and Trump have previously expressed their willingness to hold another meeting if necessary.
According to a Reuters-licensed recording of Peskov's remarks, the Kremlin spokesman said the two presidents had repeatedly indicated during telephone conversations that they were prepared to meet again when circumstances required it. At the same time, he said there were currently no specific details concerning a high-level meeting.
That leaves several questions unresolved, including whether Putin will attend the Miami summit and whether a bilateral meeting with Trump would take place there.
The uncertainty comes despite the two leaders having already held direct talks in recent months. Putin and Trump met in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025, marking a major direct engagement between the American and Russian presidents.
Any future Trump-Putin meeting would take place against the backdrop of continued efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Washington has been seeking to restart stalled negotiations, with American officials maintaining contacts with both Moscow and Kyiv. Rubio said the United States remained open to engagement with Russia despite the lack of a broader breakthrough in efforts to end the conflict.
Peskov, however, said there were currently no conditions for moving toward a substantive peace-negotiation track, while maintaining that Russia remained open to talks.
He also argued that a summit should follow sufficient preparatory work rather than take place without detailed groundwork.
The Kremlin's position suggests that Moscow is separating its willingness to maintain contact with Washington from any immediate commitment to a presidential summit.
The possibility of a wider diplomatic meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also been discussed in connection with the December G20 summit.
Zelenskyy has previously said he would be willing to meet Putin if both leaders attended the Miami gathering. Moscow has reiterated its own position that a direct Putin-Zelenskyy meeting should take place in Moscow, while saying that preparations would need to precede any summit.
The uncertainty surrounding Putin's participation has therefore become an important factor in determining whether the G20 could provide an opportunity for additional high-level diplomacy.
For Washington, inviting Putin to the G20 represents an effort to keep direct engagement with Moscow available despite continuing disagreements over Ukraine and other issues.
For Moscow, however, the next step remains undecided. The Kremlin has acknowledged the invitation but has not committed Putin to attending the Miami summit.
The coming weeks are therefore expected to focus on diplomatic consultations over Russia's participation and the possible structure of any meetings involving Putin and Trump.
For now, the Kremlin's message is that another Putin-Trump meeting remains possible, but there is no confirmed date, venue or finalized summit arrangement for December.
