The United States cancelled plans for a group photo at the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Atlanta after objections involving Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
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Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest economies are meeting in Atlanta this week amid major divisions over multiple conflicts and global economic pressures, with the United States cancelling a planned group photo at the foreign ministers gathering.
According to U.S. officials, the decision followed objections from several European diplomats who said they did not want to be photographed with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and threatened to walk out of the photo.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is chairing the meeting on Friday and Saturday, which officials said is intended to set the stage for a G20 leaders’ summit hosted by President Donald Trump at his Miami golf club in December.
The U.S. said its top priority for the ministers meeting is working through differences related to freedom of navigation, with discussions planned around the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea.
Officials also said the agenda will include issues involving Iran, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China and its smaller neighbours, as well as broader questions tied to geopolitical crises contributing to global economic shocks.
The meeting comes as new concerns linger over the possibility of renewed U.S. military action targeting Iran, leaving regional members including Saudi Arabia on edge.
Russia is represented in Atlanta by Lavrov, while China is represented by a deputy foreign minister and most other countries have sent their top diplomat, according to U.S. officials.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it complained about visa issues for its delegation that were resolved only at the last minute, and said Lavrov would use the meeting to advocate for the “swift reform of global economic institutions” and Russia’s vision of a “multipolar world.”
The gathering is set against a backdrop of uncertainty about whether G20 members can reach consensus on contentious issues, including Russia-Ukraine and the U.S. approach to Iran, alongside U.S. tariffs and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
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