14 senators from both parties of the US Senate called on President Donald Trump to cancel the invitation sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the “Group of Twenty” (G20) summit to be held in Miami in December.
Modern.az reports that “The Washington Post” published information citing the letter addressed by the senators to Trump.
In their appeal, the senators stated that “President Putin bears full responsibility for the large-scale aggressive war launched by Russia against Ukraine.”
According to them, if the Russian President participates in the summit in the US amid the ongoing war and attacks on Ukraine, this could serve to legitimize and normalize relations with the Russian authorities.
The authors of the letter also reminded that Putin, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and other members of the Russian delegation are under US sanctions.
According to the senators, removing the Russian leadership from international isolation could reduce Moscow's motivation to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The letter was led by Republican Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Democrat Jean Shaheen, a leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Six more Democratic and six Republican senators signed the document.
It should be noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously confirmed that an invitation was sent to Putin to participate in the G20 summit. Rubio said on September 23 that Washington views the meeting of the Russian President with Trump and other world leaders as an opportunity for interaction.
However, it is not yet known whether Putin will accept the invitation. The Russian President has not personally attended G20 leaders' summits since 2019.
Russia remains a member of the G20. This year the summit will be held in Miami in December.
