US Cancelled Joint Photo of G20 Ministers Over Lavrov

31.10.2026 07:26 HotInfo

The United States cancelled the planned joint photograph of participants at the meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta. The reason was that several European officials refused to pose in the photograph together with the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov. svet.sme.sk ↗

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently cancelled the traditional photograph that usually opens the G20 ministers' negotiations. According to available information, there was a risk that approximately a third of the participating countries would not take part in the photo session. Australia, the United Kingdom and other states refused to appear in the joint photograph with the Russian representative. The Guardian ↗

Several European ministers threatened that if Lavrov appeared in the photograph, they would leave the meeting. According to statements on the matter, the European countries did not want to create the impression of a normalization of relations with Russia, which continues its war against Ukraine. teraz.sk ↗

The commotion surrounding the joint photograph also had an impact on the broader course of the negotiations. The meeting of G20 foreign ministers is expected to end without a joint declaration. The cancellation of the photo session thus highlighted the persistent political divisions among the group's participants regarding Russian participation and the war in Ukraine. SITA ↗