Speaking to reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was hopeful that Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept an invitation to the December G20 summit in Miami — despite differences over Russia’s war with Ukraine and other matter.
"We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the President but with other world leaders," Rubio said. "We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept."
"There’s an opportunity in December if that happens. If there’s another opportunity for them to meet and there’s a purpose behind the meeting, that would be good," he said. "They’ve had conversations on the phone — numerous now. I don’t know the number, but since the President’s come into office, I think at least a dozen times they have spoken."
"We’ll remain open to engaging," Rubio said. "Obviously, the ideal would be a meeting in which there will be a result, an outcome, and a lot of that means there has to be a lot of work that goes into it beforehand. But if not, maybe if President Putin attends the G20 in December, that will certainly be an opportunity for them to interact and talk."
Trump will host G20 leaders at his Miami country club in December.
