US invites Vladimir Putin to G20 meeting in December

Rubio, speaking after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, ‌said the US ‌remained open ⁠to engaging with Russia on the war ​in Ukraine, despite stalled efforts to bring an end to the conflict.

"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.

Putin and Trump met in Anchorage, ​Alaska in ‌August last year, but Putin has not visited the lower ​48 states since before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Russia ​was "grateful ​and appreciative for ​this invitation."

"We will make a decision and ‌work through it via diplomatic channels," he added.

Rubio also said Trump could potentially meet again with China's President Xi Jinping - who arrived in Washington for a state visit on Wednesday - at the ​G20 summit as well as at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ​meeting in Shenzhen.