Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend next year’s G20 summit in Britain because of sanctions imposed on him by the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said.
According to The Economist, Burnham ruled out Putin’s attendance when asked whether the Russian leader would be invited to the gathering.
“No,” he replied.
However, Burnham reportedly explained that Putin could not formally be excluded or “disinvited” because Russia remains a member of the G20.
Instead, he said the Russian president would not be attending because of an outstanding sanction against him.
Burnham’s office declined to provide further comments on the sanctions, which Britain began imposing on Russia in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The development comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in September that Washington had invited Putin to attend a G20 meeting in Miami in December.
Rubio said the gathering would offer Putin an opportunity to engage with US President Donald Trump and other world leaders.
Despite continued efforts by Western nations to isolate Moscow over the war in Ukraine, Russia remains a member of the G20.
Under the bloc’s usual arrangements, leaders of the host country traditionally invite all member nations to attend its annual summit.
Next year’s G20 summit is scheduled to take place in November in Manchester, in northwestern England. Burnham previously served as mayor of the wider region.
