UK refuses to invite Putin to next year's G20 summit

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 15:50 · Archive

Britain will not invite Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit it is hosting in Manchester next November.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed that Vladimir Putin will not be invited to the G20 summit in Manchester next November. When asked directly by The Economist whether the Russian president would attend, Burnham said 'No', clarifying that while the G20 handles its own guest list, Russia would not be present 'because of an outstanding sanction'.

Burnham's stance comes after US President Donald Trump invited Putin to America's G20 summit in Miami this December, prompting criticism from Britain's Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. Miliband previously said Britain would not abandon its ban on direct engagement with Russia, though he said the US must make its own decisions. Last week, a photocall at the G20 foreign ministers meeting was cancelled after politicians, including Miliband, refused to be photographed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Britain has been one of Ukraine's strongest supporters since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, a position maintained by all five British prime ministers during the war. Burnham also told The Economist he hopes to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Manchester summit, citing potential economic collaboration opportunities between the UK and China.

How it is being reported

• Ukraine-Russia war latest: UK breaks with Trump by refusing to invite Putin to G20 summitThe US had said that Putin would be attending the G20 summit they are hosting in Miami in DecemberIndependent World · 5 Nov, 15:27
• Burnham won’t follow Trump in inviting Putin to G20Britain has been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.Politico Europe · 5 Nov, 13:32

In this story: Andy Burnham · Vladimir Putin · Donald Trump · Ed Miliband · Xi Jinping · UK · Russia · Ukraine

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log