The foreign ministers of the Group of Twenty (G20) countries are due to meet in Atlanta on 30–31 October. The talks are expected to highlight differences between Western governments over Russia’s war against Ukraine. The US, for its part, intends to focus the forum’s attention on economic growth, energy security and trade.
The meeting in Atlanta is being hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It is taking place on the eve of the G20 leaders’ summit, scheduled for December in Miami and organised by US President Donald Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin has received an invitation, though it is not yet known whether he will attend.
The visit to Atlanta by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has once again sparked debate amongst Western governments over whether engaging with Russian officials at international events might be seen as a return to normal relations with Moscow whilst its war against Ukraine continues.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has learnt that the traditional ‘family’ photograph will not be taken ahead of this year’s summit. The reasons for the change in format are unclear. According to reports, some Western diplomats did not wish to be photographed with Lavrov in the official group picture.
Western diplomats told journalists that the organisers are discussing the option of holding two group photo sessions: one with Lavrov and the other without him.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful stated that he would not avoid a group photograph with all participants, as dialogue is part of his job. At the same time, he emphasised that as long as the war is ongoing, there can be no normal relations with Moscow.
Tensions surrounding contacts with Russia have also arisen at previous G20 summits. For instance, at the August meeting of finance ministers in Asheville, North Carolina, US European delegates expressed their dissatisfaction following bilateral talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov.
As a Radio Free Europe correspondent notes, Ukraine’s absence from the meeting in Atlanta was a further source of tension. Washington invited only official G20 participants, omitting Ukraine and South Africa from the guest list.
Moscow, for its part, expressed dissatisfaction with the organisation of the meeting. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the visa issue for the delegation had been resolved at the last minute, and that ‘not everyone in Washington is happy’ about Lavrov’s participation.
The State Department stated that the US wants to return the G20 “to its roots” and focus the agenda on economic growth, deregulation, innovation, energy and trade. Other priorities include strengthening supply chains, safeguarding freedom of navigation and improving access to critical minerals, food and fertilisers. Washington also supports Poland’s aspiration to become a full member of the G20.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the G20 leaders’ summit as an opportunity to hold a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US and Russia, which could ‘yield tangible results’.
Prior to this, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Vladimir Putin had been invited to the G20 summit, which is due to take place on 14–15 December in Miami.
Donald Trump spoke about Putin’s possible participation in the “major event in Miami” on 22 September at a press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He touched on this topic whilst answering a question about whether the Russian leader would agree to a trilateral meeting involving the presidents of Ukraine and the US.
The Kremlin stated that Russia was grateful for the invitation extended to Putin to attend the G20 summit. They added that a decision on participation would be taken at a later date and that they would “work through this issue via diplomatic channels”.