“We must demand steps forward from Russia, and not take them halfway.” Meloni criticized Putin's possible invitation to the G20 summit

The moment has come when Western countries should demand steps forward from Russia, and not take them towards Vladimir Putin, said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, answering a question about a possible invitation to the Russian president to the G20 summit, Ansa and Il Messaggero write.

“I believe that now is the moment 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 side we have not seen this. I think it’s time to demand it,” Meloni said.

The prime minister added that she had not heard from Donald Trump since the controversy over her condemnation of his criticism of Pope Leo XIV. However, relations with the United States, according to Meloni, remain strong.

• The G20 summit will take place in December 2026 in Miami. The Washington Post wrote, citing sources, that Donald Trump plans to invite Putin; The American President himself said that he did not know about this, but he would not mind. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “Putin may go to Miami as a member of the G20 country, he may not go, another Russian representative may go.”
• Giorgia Meloni is considered one of the European leaders closest to Trump (for example, she was the only one at his inauguration), however, during the conflict between the US President and Pope Leo XIV, the Italian Prime Minister supported the Pontiff. “I thought she was brave, but I was wrong,” Trump said in response, noting that Meloni “isn’t the same anymore.”