DOMINANT ANGLE
Rome is eyeing the calculated caution with which Moscow has accepted the American invitation to the G20 in Miami, without seeing the outline of a thaw with Kiev.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Marco Rubio confirmed Vladimir Putin's invitation to the G20 in Miami in December; Peskov responded by being "grati per l'invito" and promised to handle the matter through diplomatic channels.
- 02
At the UN, Zelensky stated that Russia is having soldiers from 47 countries fight and estimated the number of Russian soldiers killed or seriously injured in eight months at 248,000, with 63,000 drone attacks.
- 03
After the Trump-Zelensky meeting, Peskov stated that "al momento, non ci sono presupposti per avviare negoziati di pace" with Ukraine, while also asserting that Russia "rimane aperta a tali negoziati".
ANALYSIS
Rome, September 24, 2026. The Italian press first notes the contrast between the American announcement and Moscow's caution. On Wednesday, following the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invitation to Vladimir Putin for the G20 summit in Miami in December. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov responded from New York, where the Russian delegation was represented by Sergei Lavrov: "We are grateful for the invitation and welcome it favorably. We will make a decision and proceed to work on the issue through diplomatic channels," he said, according to the ANSA agency, without setting a schedule or mentioning an imminent bilateral meeting with Trump.
On the same day, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, just before the invitation was made public. He called Vladimir Putin "patient zero" who should be "stopped", denying him any "space for action" to spread, in his view, this evil in Europe and the world. The Ukrainian president claimed that Russia is engaging soldiers from 47 countries in its war, warning these countries that they are unaware of what Moscow is doing with their citizens. He estimated the cost of the conflict over the past eight months: 248,000 Russian soldiers killed or seriously injured, more than 2,000 missiles fired at Ukraine, and 63,000 drone attacks.
The Italian press also notes a distinct and tougher response from the Kremlin, formulated after the Trump-Zelensky meeting: Peskov judged that "at the moment, there are no prerequisites for starting peace negotiations" with Ukraine, while ensuring that Russia "remains open to such negotiations". He denounced a growing "militarization" of Ukraine by Europeans.
This double reading - Moscow's cautious response to the Miami invitation, and Zelensky's denunciation of a Putin deemed insatiable after having retained 17 million square kilometers - outlines, for the Roman press, an American diplomacy that opens a framework for dialogue without the underlying positions having yet changed.
SOURCES (3)
- AdnkronosMEDIUM
