US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend the G20 summit in Miami, Florida, in December.

Axar.az reports, citing CNN, that Rubio said the invitation would give Putin an opportunity to engage with US President Donald Trump and other world leaders.

“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20. We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders. We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept,” Rubio said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

If Putin accepts, it would be his first in-person attendance at the G20 summit since 2019.

Rubio also said a possible meeting between Putin and Trump could be useful if there was a purpose behind it.

“If there’s another opportunity for them to meet and there’s a purpose behind the meeting, that would be good,” Rubio said.