Poland’s Tusk warns Putin G20 invite could embolden Russia
Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would appreciate it and consider the invitation
Poland prime minister Donald Tusk has raised concerns over the Trump administration's invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the G20 summit in Miami.
According to Tusk, inviting Putin to the G20 summit, scheduled to hold in December, may encourage Moscow to continue its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.
"If inviting Putin to the G20 could bring us closer to a just peace, I would be absolutely in favour of it," Tusk told a news conference.
"However - and this is both my concern and what my experience tells me - at this stage, Russia might well view it as an encouragement to continue its aggressive policies. That is what I fear."
Tusk's remarks came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio invited Putin to attend the summit, potentially leading to Putin-Trump in-person meeting in Florida.
In response, Russia expressed appreciation for the invitation while adding that the Kremlin will consider accepting the invitation.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, it is too early to discuss whether the Russian president will travel to the G20 summit and meet President Trump.
"It is premature to talk about this for now. No decision has been made yet,” Peskov said. Any decision of joining G20 will be made through diplomatic channels after the consideration.
"It will be considered, and an appropriate decision will then be made. In any case, Russia intends to continue participating in the work of the G20 and all forums held within its framework."
On Wednesday Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met with Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. During the discussions, the US signalled openness to engaging with Russia on the war in Ukraine
