EU Vows to Condemn Russia at G20 Even if Putin Attends

The EU announced it will use December’s G20 summit in Miami to condemn Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, regardless of whether Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts Washington’s invitation to attend. Commission deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill said the bloc has used every G20 meeting since 2022 to condemn the war and call for its end, Euronews reported. He said the same approach will continue “irrespective of the participants at any G20 meeting.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The G20 is a key forum for addressing existing and emerging global challenges. Some of which have been created precisely by Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Gill said on Thursday. “I also recall that Russia is escalating attacks on Ukrainian civilians as we speak. July and August were the deadliest months since the war started,” he continued. The meeting is represented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council António Costa, and comprises of a total of 19 countries alongside the EU and the African Union. EU’s Kallas criticized the invitation “Trump’s inviting Putin to the G20 was very hard to hear, because considering that even a few days ago, there were Russian intelligence officers charged for murders of Americans on American soil” EU foreign policy Kaja Kallas said. “So, my question is, do these intelligence officers operate, you know, alone, or do they get orders from Vladimir Putin? And I can tell you, they get orders from President Putin,” she added. Other Topics of Interest Le Pen Rules Out Ukraine Funding as Russia Targets French Election The far-right front-trunner said France is not at war with Russia as 51 countries urged Moscow to accept a ceasefire and separately warned of attacks on NATO members. Kallas was referring to an indictment unsealed by the US Justice Department on Sept. 15, which charged five people linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Three of them were also charged with hired murder conspiracy. According to Radio Liberty, the defendants include a former FSB colonel Kirill Khrameyev and his son, Yury, identified as a suspected FSB officer, alongside three other men who were hired to surveil and kill a prominent Russian dissident. Russia declined to comment until “credible evidence” emerges. EU already divided by the invitation French far-right presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen welcomed Putin’s G20 invitation on Thursday. Speaking to Politico on the same day, the National Rally leader said France could no longer provide financial aid to Ukraine under her leadership, though it could continue training Ukrainian troops and supplying the country with military support. She also rejected claims that France is already at war with Russia and reiterated her wish for France to leave NATO after Russia’s war against Ukraine ends. Her remarks come as Russian disinformation campaigns target possible contenders in the April 2027 elections with deepfakes, fabricated media reports and false claims. Kremlin’s mixed signals The Kremlin welcomed the US invitation, on Wednesday, only to walk back its statement on Thursday by saying it was too early to talk about it. “It is premature to talk about this for now, a decision has not yet been made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, according to Russian news agency Interfax. On Sept. 12, he framed the meeting between Putin and Zelensky at the G20 summit in Miami as “impossible,” reiterating Moscow’s position that the two leaders could only meet in Moscow. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the invitation on Wednesday, after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the same summit, where he said Putin was willing to meet. “He’d like to see the war end,” he added. Putin, however, has yet to accept any of Zelensky’s repeated invitations to meet in person and did not attend this year’s UNGA, where Lavrov represented Russia instead. While Zelensky reiterated he is ready to meet the Russian President directly, urging the US to organize trilateral talks, Putin consistently avoids direct meetings. Before Thursday‘s latest remarks, Lavrov said that the Kremlin will not pause its “special military operation” even during negotiations. On Sept. 18, Putin accused Kyiv of sabotaging peace efforts, claiming that Ukrainian officials “speak of peace” while “doing everything to ensure” it doesn’t happen. Three days later, Peskov said there had been no progress in negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, but Moscow hoped trilateral talks involving the US would resume. Meanwhile, any diplomatic momentum has repeatedly been followed by heavier Russian attacks. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.