Trump says he would invite Zelenskyy to December G20 summit in Florida, after Washington invited Putin
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the G20 leaders’ summit in Florida in December, raising the prospect of both the Ukrainian and Russian leaders attending the same gathering.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the G20 leaders’ summit in Florida in December, opening the possibility that the Ukrainian and Russian leaders could attend the same gathering. Trump made the remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after being asked whether he would extend an invitation to Zelenskyy.
“I would. I would. No problem,” Trump replied, according to several reports of the exchange. The answer was brief, but it was the clearest statement yet from the American president on the question, and it came hours after his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had left the possibility open while saying no announcement had been made.
The context is important. The United States holds the G20 presidency in 2026, and the leaders’ summit is scheduled for 14 and 15 December at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami. Washington had already invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the summit, a decision Rubio confirmed in September, despite Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. That invitation drew criticism from some American allies, who argued that it rewarded Moscow while the war continued.
Ukraine is not a member of the G20, which brings together the world’s largest economies, but Ukrainian representatives have previously attended G20 meetings as invited guests. Zelenskyy himself has addressed G20 summits in the past, including by video link, and his presence in Miami would therefore not be unprecedented in form, even if the circumstances — a summit hosted by Trump, with Putin also invited — would be unusual.
Rubio’s earlier remarks on Saturday, made on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, set the stage for Trump’s answer. Asked about Zelenskyy’s possible participation, Rubio said the decision rested with the president and that he would not rule out an invitation, adding that such a step could be considered if it helped advance diplomatic efforts. “That would be up to the President to decide. I wouldn’t rule it out,” he said, while making clear he had no announcement to make at that time.
Trump’s subsequent remarks supplied the clearer indication, although they stopped short of a formal invitation. No formal invitation to Zelenskyy has yet been announced, and the reports of Saturday’s exchange do not specify what role Ukraine would play at the summit, whether Zelenskyy would meet Trump or Putin bilaterally, or whether any meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders is envisaged. Those details, if they exist, have not been published.
The foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, which preceded Trump’s remarks, was itself part of the preparations for the December summit, with ministers discussing the war’s consequences for energy supplies, shipping and food security, as well as the American presidency’s stated focus on economic issues including supply chains, critical minerals and freedom of navigation. The question of who attends the leaders’ summit is therefore not only a diplomatic courtesy: it shapes what the summit can plausibly discuss, and whether it can serve as a venue for talks about ending the war.
For Kyiv, an invitation would be a significant diplomatic signal. It would place Zelenskyy in the same room as the leaders of the world’s largest economies, and potentially in proximity to Putin, at a moment when Ukraine is seeking continued American and European support and when Trump has repeatedly said he wants the war ended. For Moscow, the prospect of Zelenskyy’s presence alongside Putin would change the character of the summit, from a gathering at which Russia is a guest to one at which both sides of the war are present, with all the protocol and political complications that would entail.
There are also domestic American politics at play. Trump’s handling of the Ukraine war, and of his relationship with both Putin and Zelenskyy, remains one of the most closely watched aspects of his foreign policy, particularly with midterm elections days away. An invitation to Zelenskyy could be presented by the White House as evidence of even-handed diplomacy, while critics might argue that inviting both leaders without a clear plan for talks risks turning the summit into a stage-managed encounter rather than a substantive negotiation.
What happens next is likely to be decided in the coming days, as the White House either follows Trump’s remarks with a formal invitation or lets them stand as an informal expression of willingness. Ukrainian officials have not yet publicly confirmed whether they have received or would accept such an invitation, and Russian officials have not commented on the prospect of Zelenskyy’s attendance. Until a formal invitation is issued and accepted, Saturday’s remarks remain a statement of intent rather than a settled guest list — but they have already changed the conversation about who will be in Miami in December, and what that summit might become.
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