Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said London does not intend to change its policy of refusing direct contacts with Russian officials at the foreign minister level — despite Vladimir Putin’s invitation to the G20 summit in the United States.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference, Miliband stressed that the United Kingdom has “a long-standing policy of not having direct engagement at my level with the Russian side since the invasion of Ukraine. We are not going to change that policy.” He said the approach also demonstrates solidarity with the Ukrainian people. At the same time, the minister noted that “different countries make different decisions on these issues.”
The decision on who attends the G20 summit in Miami in December 2026 is, in the British minister’s view, one the United States must make for itself. He declined to “second-guess” the guest list but confirmed that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will travel to the meeting in the United States.
Miliband also highlighted Britain’s forthcoming G20 presidency in 2027, when the group’s leaders’ summit is due to be held in Manchester. London, the foreign secretary said, will determine its own position on invitations when it hosts the G20. His remarks suggested that Britain’s approach is unlikely to follow the American one.
Thus, the invitation of the Russian president to the summit in the United States does not mean that the United Kingdom will restore direct dialogue at the foreign minister level. The policy introduced after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine remains in force.
