Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be invited to next year’s G20 summit in Britain, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. Asked by The Economist whether Mr Putin would be invited, Mr Burnham replied: “No.” The newspaper reported the exchange on Thursday 5 November 2026.

Next year’s annual G20 summit is due to be held in November in Manchester, the city at the centre of the region in north-west England where Mr Burnham was mayor before becoming prime minister. Russia is a member of the G20 group of advanced economies, so the decision is a political one about attendance rather than a question of membership.

Sanctions and the invitation process

Mr Burnham told The Economist that there were sanctions against leading figures in the Russian administration, and added that there were technicalities about the invitations, which he believed were handled by the G20 rather than by Britain. He said that, to rephrase it technically, Mr Putin would not be coming because of an outstanding sanction. The UK has had a longstanding policy of no direct, bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Burnham struck a more welcoming tone towards Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying next year’s meeting was an opportunity to strengthen relations with Beijing and push for progress on AI safety, while acknowledging that bringing the US and China together on global AI regulation would be challenging. The position contrasts with the United States, where President Donald Trump has invited Mr Putin to a G20 leaders’ summit at his Miami golf club in December. Downing Street did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sources: Reuters, Putin will not be invited to Britain’s G20 summit, UK PM Burnham says, 5 November 2026; Press Association via Gazette Herald, Putin will not attend Manchester G20 summit, Burnham says, 5 November 2026.