Trump Urges Zelensky to Visit Moscow as U.S. Senators Press Him to Disinvite Putin from G20 in Miami
Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN to travel to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg reports, while a bipartisan group of 14 senators called on him to withdraw Putin’s invitation to the G20 summit in Miami, warning that his attendance would legitimize Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Donald Trump is being pulled in opposite directions on how to handle Russia’s war against Ukraine: personally encouraging talks in Moscow while being warned by senators not to host Vladimir Putin at a high‑profile summit in the United States.
During a meeting at the United Nations this week, Trump again encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to travel to Moscow for negotiations with Putin, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the encounter. Zelensky rejected the idea. People familiar with his position told Bloomberg that Trump’s decision to raise it had upset the Ukrainian president.
The suggestion comes while Ukrainian cities remain under attack and Ukrainian forces are striking Russian logistics and energy infrastructure. A Ukrainian leader flying to the capital of the state that launched a full‑scale invasion would carry powerful symbolism at home and abroad, and in Ukraine it would be seen against the backdrop of continued Russian attacks on civilians.
At the same time, Trump is facing pressure from Capitol Hill over his approach to Putin. A bipartisan group of 14 U.S. senators sent him a letter urging him to withdraw Putin’s invitation to the G20 summit scheduled in Miami. They argued that allowing the Russian president to attend while his forces continue to attack Ukrainian civilians would legitimize the war. The senators said Putin is responsible for launching the full‑scale invasion and wrote that his participation raises “serious concerns.” The letter was led by members from both parties.
The clash over whether Putin should be welcomed to a G20 hosted in the United States, and whether Zelensky should be urged to travel to Moscow for talks, touches the core of how responsibility for the war is framed. G20 meetings help set the tone for global economic coordination; hosting the Russian leader while sanctions remain in force and territory is occupied would send a signal about how far normalization can go while the conflict continues.
For Ukraine, the combined effect of these moves matters. On one side, its president is being asked to consider direct talks in the aggressor’s capital. On the other, senior U.S. lawmakers are arguing that Putin’s presence at a major summit would confer unwarranted legitimacy while Russian forces still hold Ukrainian territory and fire on Ukrainian cities.
Allies in Europe, who have committed substantial military and financial support to Kyiv, will be watching how Trump responds to the senators’ letter and whether the G20 invitation changes. They are also likely to pay attention to how Zelensky and his government publicly describe their conditions for any talks after the UN meeting.
Key decisions that could shift this picture include any formal response from Trump to the senators, clarification on whether Putin’s G20 invitation stands, and further statements from Kyiv on the circumstances under which it would engage in negotiations with Russia.
Sources
- OSINT