In an interview with The Economist published on Thursday, Burnham was asked whether Putin would receive an invitation to the summit. His response was direct: “No.”
Reuters reported that Burnham’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The position could put Britain on a similar diplomatic path to the United States, which excluded South African President Cyril Ramaphosa from its 2026 G20 summit in Miami, despite South Africa being a founding member of the group.
Russia remains a G20 member despite tensions with the West
Russia remains a member of the G20 despite efforts by Western governments to isolate Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Traditionally, countries hosting the annual summit invite all members of the bloc, making Burnham’s reported position a departure from that practice.
The decision would also contrast with Washington’s approach. In September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration had invited Putin to the G20 meeting in Miami in December 2026, offering the Russian president an opportunity to engage with President Donald Trump and other world leaders.
The US decision to exclude Ramaphosa from the 2026 summit followed a diplomatic dispute between Washington and Pretoria during South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency.
President Donald Trump announced in November 2025 that South Africa would not receive an invitation to the Miami gathering, citing disagreements over the handover of the G20 presidency and making allegations against the South African government that Pretoria rejected.
South Africa maintained that it remained a full G20 member and that its participation should not depend on the position of the host country.
Britain is scheduled to host the next G20 leaders’ summit in Manchester in November 2027. If Putin is excluded, Russia would remain a member of the group but its president would be absent from the leaders’ meeting.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
