Rubio drops G20 photo to avoid Lavrov standoff in Atlanta
European officials threatened to walk out of the traditional snapshot, forcing the U.S. to drop the image while talks proceeded in Atlanta.
By Bianca Herrera ·
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled the traditional G20 foreign ministers' group photo in Atlanta after European diplomats threatened to boycott the image. The decision came on the first day of a two day meeting where foreign ministers from the world's 20 largest economies gathered to discuss global crises.
Rubio made the call after several European colleagues indicated they would refuse to stand with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Rubio believed the controversy over the photo would distract from the substantive work ahead. The talks themselves proceeded as planned despite the snub.
"I am not the only one who does not want to be photographed with Lavrov," Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told media in Atlanta. He described the cancellation as the right decision. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul agreed that there is no normality with Russia but stated that ministers must exchange controversies at the table without sending falsely optimistic signals.
The United Kingdom said in a statement that it has a longstanding policy against direct bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine. The British foreign office added that it was not about to change that stance. Lavrov's presence in the U.S. is rare since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and his attendance has raised questions about domestic politics ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
U.S. Ambassador to Georgia during Trump's first term Ian Kelly, who now teaches at Northwestern University, called the invitation politically boneheaded. He noted that Lavrov's travel to NATO member states has been infrequent since the war began and the imposition of severe sanctions on Moscow.
South Africa, a founding member of the G20 and the only African country in the group, was not invited to the Atlanta meeting. Spokesperson Phindile Kunene said South Africa maintained its nonparticipation was not voluntary. Kunene said the country was ready to participate on an equal footing when Britain takes over the G20 presidency next year.
Ukraine, which is not a G20 member but has attended previous meetings, was also excluded this year. U.S. officials said they made a conscious choice to include only formal members. The meeting is intended to prepare for a G20 leaders' summit hosted by President Donald Trump at his Miami golf club in December.
