US senators question Putin’s invitation to G20 — Anadolu Agency
A group of US senators from the Democratic and Republican parties asked President Donald Trump to explain the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leader of an aggressor state, to the upcoming G20 summit in Miami. The lawmakers said Putin should not participate in G20 events or other similar international forums held in the United States.
Senators’ letter
The letter was initiated by Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The document was signed by senators from both parties, including Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Sheldon Whitehouse, Roger Wicker, Michael Bennet, Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal, Jerry Moran, Tim Kaine, Thom Tillis, John Curtis, Ruben Gallego and Alan Armstrong.
The senators also urged the administration to bar Russian officials subject to sanctions from future G20 events. As Anadolu Agency reports, the lawmakers linked their objections to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets and activities directed against Americans.
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Lawmakers’ arguments
In the letter, the authors stressed that Putin bears responsibility for launching the full-scale aggression against Ukraine. In their view, his participation in the summit in the United States could help legitimize and normalize the Russian authorities, which, according to the senators, attack civilian targets in Ukraine every day.
The lawmakers also expressed concern over Russia’s relations with Iran and what they assessed as an intensification of Russian hybrid activities in Europe. They referred to reports that Russia had assisted the Iranian military in carrying out strikes against US service members in the Middle East and called on the United States to increase economic and political pressure on Putin for serious peace negotiations.
Previous invitation
In late August, Trump invited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in North Carolina. This invitation also came as a surprise to the meeting’s participants.
