'No': UK PM Andy Burnham rules out inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to G20 summit. Here's why

Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be invited to next year's G20 summit in Britain, said British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Notably, Russia remains a member of the G20 grouping. However, according to the British PM, his country would skip inviting the Russian PM because of sanctions against leading figures in Putin's administration.

When asked by The Economist whether Putin would be invited, Burnham said: "No."

"There are sanctions against leading figures in the administration," he said. "And there's some technicalities about invites, because I think they're handled by the G20 rather than by Britain. I think I've got that right. So, if I maybe rephrase it, technically, but will not be coming because of an outstanding sanction."

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US vs UK on Putin's invitation question

The remarks are in stark contrast to Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in September that the United States had invited Putin to a G20 meeting in Miami in December, describing it as an opportunity for him to engage with President Donald Trump and other world leaders.

Russia remains a member of the G20 despite Western efforts to isolate it following its invasion of Ukraine. Leaders of host nations traditionally invite all members of the bloc to attend the annual summit.

Next year's G20 summit will be held in November in Manchester, the centre of the region in northwestern England where Burnham was mayor before becoming prime minister.

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UK's wider policy on Russia

The UK has a longstanding policy of avoiding direct, bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Notably, at the October 2026 G20 ministerial gathering in Atlanta, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, along with other Western foreign ministers, refused to participate in a group photograph with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, leading to the cancellation of the photo call.