Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in response to a question about a possible invitation for the Russian President to attend the G20 summit, said that the moment has come when Western countries demand that Russia take steps forward, and not take them towards Vladimir Putin.
Meloni said: “I think that now is the time when we must demand steps forward from Putin, and not take them ourselves to meet him. Because we and the Americans, especially in recent months, have taken several steps towards Russia, but on the other hand we have not seen that. I think it is time to demand that.”
The Prime Minister added that she had not heard from Donald Trump since the controversy surrounding her condemnation of his criticism of Pope Leo XIV. However, according to Meloni, relations with the United States remain strong.
The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in December 2026 in Miami. The Washington Post, citing sources, wrote that Donald Trump intends to invite Putin; The American President himself said that he did not know about this matter, but he did not mind. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Putin may go to Miami as a member of the G20 country, or he may not go, and another Russian representative may go.”
Giorgia Meloni is one of the European leaders closest to Trump (for example, she was the only one at his inauguration), but during the conflict between the US president and Pope Leo XIV, the Italian Prime Minister supported the Pontiff. Trump said in response: “I thought she was brave, but I was wrong,” noting that Meloni “is not the same anymore.”