Germany calls Putin’s invitation to G20 a “litmus test” for Russia’s readiness for peace

The Trump administration’s decision to invite Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit, to be held December 14–15 at Trump National Doral Miami, has sparked a wave of criticism from U.S. senators, European allies, and local officials.

The invitation raised the question of whether the Russian president, who is subject to an international arrest warrant, would set foot on American soil.

The invitation and its critics

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the invitation on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. As The Hill reports, he told journalists:

“We think this is an opportunity for him to engage not only with the president but with other world leaders. We hope he accepts this invitation,” Rubio said.

The Kremlin said it would consider the proposal. According to Al Jazeera, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no decision had yet been made, adding that Moscow “certainly appreciates this kind invitation.”

A bipartisan group of 14 senators — seven Republicans and seven Democrats, including Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn — sent a letter to the White House urging Trump to withdraw the invitation, The Washington Post reports.

“President Putin bears sole responsibility for unleashing Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine,” the letter states.

The letter’s authors demanded that Putin and other sanctioned Russian officials be barred from all upcoming G20 events “until Russia agrees to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”

International reaction

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Tuesday called the invitation a “litmus test” for Russia, urging Putin to demonstrate a willingness to negotiate — specifically by announcing a ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain. At a meeting with his Slovak counterpart in Bratislava, he warned:

“There looms a threat of famine, there looms a threat of further humanitarian catastrophes, there looms a threat of further destabilization of states,” Wadephul said.

Britain took a harder line. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Politico that London would not resume direct contacts with Russian officials:

“We have had a long-standing policy of no direct engagement with the Russians at my level since the invasion of Ukraine. We are not changing that policy,” Miliband said.

Local opposition in Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also joined the critics, calling the invitation a contradiction for a community built by those who fled authoritarian regimes.

“Rolling out the red carpet for a man who launched an unprovoked war against a sovereign democratic state, who has spent more than four years bombing Ukrainian cities, power plants, and homes, and against whom an international arrest warrant has been issued for the deportation of Ukrainian children — this is a contradiction our community cannot ignore,” her statement reads.

Putin last attended a G20 summit in person in 2019. Whether he accepts the invitation will depend largely on the broader diplomatic calculations surrounding the war in Ukraine — and on whether Western pressure sets any conditions for his participation.