The U.S. barred a Russian diplomat from attending preparatory meetings ahead of the G20 summit

A representative of the Russian delegation was barred from attending the spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington, despite having accreditation and a visa. 

RIA Novosti reported this, citing a statement by Dmitry Birichevsky, director of the Department of Economic Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to the Russian official, the reason for the refusal was that the diplomat allegedly “had not completed the approval process.”

Moscow lodged a protest with Washington through bilateral channels, calling the incident an inability of the U.S. to fulfill its duties as the chairing party. Birichevsky also threatened to take “tough measures” in response, including a possible boycott of future international events. Restrictions on the participation of Russian representatives in global financial meetings continue amid the aggressor’s international isolation due to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, The Washington Post reported that the United States intends to invite Putin to the G20 leaders’ summit, scheduled for December in Miami. However, an official invitation has not yet been sent.  The State Department stated that President Donald Trump supports Russia’s participation in the G20 format. “President Donald Trump has made it clear that Russia may participate in all G20 meetings, as the U.S. is focused on holding a successful and productive summit,” the department noted.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly criticized the U.S. administration’s initiative to invite Putin to the upcoming G20 summit in Miami. 

The Kremlin announced Putin’s possible participation in the G20 summit in Miami.