U.S. President Donald Trump believes it is important for Russia to take part in G20 discussions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference following the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta.
"So, I thought the president thought it was important that Russia be a part of the G20 conversation," Rubio said.
He was asked about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s attendance and the invitation to President Vladimir Putin to participate in the December summit.
The diplomat noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta offered an opportunity to maintain engagement with Russia.
"How can you talk to both Russia and Ukraine unless you interact with them? And so I think today is just one more opportunity to continue to interact with the Russian system," Rubio said.
Rubio also pointed to the country’s nuclear arsenal.
"Putting everything else aside, it is always important that the United States and Russia have communications at some level, because of the danger of escalation in the future," Rubio said.
The diplomat also stressed the need to communicate with the Russian side and invite its representatives to forums where they could hear not only from the US but potentially from other countries as well.
