Washington/Atlanta: US President Donald Trump said that he would invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the G20 summit, hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio left open the possibility of his participation in the December gathering in Florida.
The development followed questions in Atlanta about whether Ukraine’s president could attend the leaders’ summit, as foreign ministers discussed the war’s consequences for energy supplies, shipping and food security.
Earlier Saturday, Rubio said the decision rested with Trump and suggested Ukrainian participation could be considered if it offered a prospect of progress.
“Well, it wasn’t one of the topics on the agenda,” Rubio said in response to a separate question about climate change, before returning to the issue of Zelensky’s attendance.
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“That would be up to the President to decide. I wouldn’t rule it out,” he said of a possible invitation.
“But I don’t have an announcement on that today.”
Trump’s subsequent statement supplied a clearer indication of his intentions, although the arrangements and purpose of any Ukrainian participation remained unspecified.
At the Atlanta press conference, Rubio described Washington’s immediate priority as seeking a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war. He said the United States remained engaged because it communicated with both sides and was being encouraged by other countries to continue its efforts.
He pointed to attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, civilian deaths and the long-term task of rebuilding the country’s economy and electricity network.
Rubio also warned about the possibility of the conflict spreading, citing sabotage and drones entering NATO countries’ airspace.
“There’s a lot of danger involved in that as well,” he said.
Alongside efforts towards a broader settlement, Rubio said Washington was examining proposals to protect grain and energy shipments in the Black Sea. He identified Türkiye and India as countries contributing ideas.
Asked whether the Atlanta discussions had improved the prospects for a limited ceasefire, he declined to assign odds.
“I would say there’s interest in facilitating it,” Rubio said.
He said Turkey had consistently pursued the issue and India had expressed interest in putting forward ideas. Any agreement on shipping would address some of the war’s international consequences without settling the underlying conflict.
“We’d like to see it happen. It doesn’t solve the war problem, but at least it diminishes some of the impact – spillover impact that it’s having on the food security of vulnerable countries,” he said.
The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta was part of preparations for the leaders’ summit in Doral, Florida, in December. Rubio said the US presidency had focused the ministerial agenda on economic issues, including energy, supply chains, critical minerals and freedom of navigation.
