British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Thursday ruled out inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to next year’s G20 summit in the United Kingdom’s Manchester.Asked by The Economist whether Putin would be invited to the meeting, Burnham replied: “No.”The 2027 G20 summit is scheduled to take place in November in Manchester, a city in northwestern England where Burnham previously served as mayor.Burnham’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.The development comes amid controversy over US invitation to Putin for this year’s G20 meeting in Miami in December. In September, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington had invited the Russian President, adding that the gathering would offer him an opportunity to engage with President Donald Trump and other world leaders, with possible discussions on Ukraine war peace plan.Moscow has said it “truly” appreciates the invitation but has not yet decided whether to accept it.Earlier, the US move drew criticism in Europe, where governments have been strengthening their militaries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he feared the invitation would be viewed by Moscow as “encouragement to continue its aggressive policies”. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was “really very, very hard to understand this treatment” of Putin.
Why Putin has stayed away from G20 summits
Russia continues to be a member of the G20 despite efforts by Western countries to isolate Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Leaders of countries hosting the annual summit traditionally invite all members of the grouping.However, Putin has not attended a G20 leaders’ summit in person since the full-scale invasion. Russia has instead been represented at subsequent meetings by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov or other officials.His absence has often been linked to strained relations with Western countries, the possibility of confrontations with other leaders and an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2023.The warrant accuses Putin of war crimes involving the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. It has restricted his ability to travel to countries that are parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC.Russia’s continued membership of the G20 contrasts with its exclusion from the G8 format. In 2014, following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, the other seven members suspended their participation in the G8 and held their summit in Brussels without Russia, effectively reverting to the G7.
