Presence of Russian delegates at G20 meeting upsets ministers as US urges world powers to co-operate amid war rifts
The presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a G20 meeting has upset many of his counterparts, as the US calls for co-operation on global issues.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged fellow G20 foreign ministers to work together for greater geopolitical stability and economic prosperity, warning that a series of crises posed serious threats to the global economic order.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s participation in the two-day gathering in Atlanta - at Rubio’s invitation - has roiled many G20 ministers, aggravating deep rifts over the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East during a meeting that is expected to end without a joint declaration.
Such statements require consensus that has been elusive if not impossible since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband addressed Lavrov directly during the meeting on Friday, telling him: “Only yesterday your drones attacked and killed 15 people. And there are countless examples like this of you killing innocent civilians throughout this war. We all know you are the aggressor.”
Lavrov later told reporters Moscow’s position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged, and Russia could not accept Ukraine as a “military threat to the lawful security interests of the Russian Federation,” according to Russian news agencies.
US officials said they skipped a traditional G20 family photo after European officials refused to be photographed with Lavrov.
One US official said Washington wanted to avoid a “spectacle” that could overshadow the meeting. A third of members objected, including Australia and Canada, a Western diplomat said.
Rubio, saying the world faced interconnected crises that threatened global energy and food supply, trade and the freedom of navigation, urged his counterparts to find areas of agreement during the final ministerial meeting before a leaders summit in Miami, Florida, from December 14 to 16.
“We are tasked, on behalf of the nations that we serve, to work together ... to co-ordinate responses to emerging crises and to protect our shared interests,” he said.
“We can help set the context for expanded geopolitical stability and the broader economic prosperity agenda that our leaders will tackle.”
Two Western officials said G20 members were in broad agreement about the severity of the economic challenges facing nearly every country as a result of the war in the Middle East.
Many participants worried that renewed US strikes on Iran would send oil prices sharply higher, deepening the pain, they said.
The foreign ministers’ meeting was expected to end with a chair’s statement, with the bigger effort focused on hammering out a joint declaration that could be signed by G20 leaders at their summit in December, Western officials said.
It remains unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the December gathering.
US President Donald Trump’s recent decisions on Russia, including a deal to buy diesel and waiving some sanctions, formed a challenging backdrop for the talks, along with Ukraine’s problems with its Starshield satellite services, participants said. Ukraine was not invited to attend.
Washington announced a multibillion-dollar sale of Patriot interceptors late on Friday, offering some good news to Kyiv.
