US Cancels G20 Group Photo After Europeans Object to Standing Beside Russia: Report
European diplomats refused to pose with Sergey Lavrov, prompting U.S. officials to scrap the G20 group photo and avoid a summit distraction.
- On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta, but canceled the traditional group photo after European diplomats refused to be photographed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
- European delegations objected to Lavrov's presence, citing Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and friction over U.S. decisions to invite Russia while excluding Ukraine and South Africa from the summit.
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated there is "no normalcy with Russia," while British officials and other Europeans threatened to boycott the ceremony, forcing Washington to scrap the ritual entirely.
- Deep divisions persist over Ukraine, the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, and maritime disputes, making consensus on a joint communique unlikely when meetings conclude Saturday.
- The Atlanta meeting precedes the G20 leaders' summit in Miami, Florida, in December, though uncertainty over President Vladimir Putin's attendance raises doubts about the upcoming summit's cohesion.
402 Articles
402 Articles
At the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in the US, the traditional family photo was canceled after European diplomats refused to be photographed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Members of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Australia refuse to normalize relations with Russia while the invasion of Ukraine continues. USA called for union, but did not invite one of the founding members of the G20 and Kiev to the meeting.
The two-day meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta will end without a joint final statement, MTI reported. The participants are divided over Russia's war in Ukraine and the planned annexation of Poland, while the traditional group photo was also canceled due to protests from several European diplomats.
It seems that not everyone is as happy to take photos with the Russian Foreign Minister as his good friend, Péter Szijjártó.
G20 cancels traditional photo due to Lavrov.The traditional joint photo of G20 foreign ministers has been removed from the official agenda of the meeting, after some of them refused to pose next to Russia's representative, Sergei Lavrov.Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described Lavrov's participation in the meeting as an "embarrassing moment", while his German counterpart declared that there can be no return to normal relations with Ru…
G20 foreign ministers to end Atlanta meeting without consensus on key issues
Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies will be wrapping up two days of talks in Atlanta without reaching consensus on several critical global security issues. This is after divisions, notably over Russia’s war with Ukraine, overshadowed…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
