G20 ministers meet without group photo after Europeans refuse to pose with Lavrov

Foreign ministers of the G20 meet for a second and final day in Atlanta on Saturday without the customary "family photo", after the United States, which holds the group's presidency this year, dropped the picture when several European ministers refused to stand beside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is leading India's delegation, used the opening session to argue that "military solutions will not work" and that diplomacy must be given a chance.

The two-day meeting, chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is meant to prepare the ground for the G20 leaders' summit that President Donald Trump will host at his golf resort near Miami in December. ABC News (Australia), citing participants, and the Associated Press reported that deep divisions over the war in Ukraine, the US-Israeli war with Iran, tariffs and the South China Sea made a joint communique at the close of talks on Saturday unlikely.

What happened

US officials told the Associated Press that Rubio decided to scrap the group photograph because a dispute over it would be a distraction. Several European diplomats had objected to being pictured with Lavrov and had threatened to walk out, according to Euronews and AP. Reports differ on whether the decision was taken on Thursday or Friday, US time.

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called the cancellation "the right decision", Euronews and ABC News (Australia) reported, adding that he was not the only minister who did not want to be photographed with Lavrov. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told the German news agency dpa that there could be "no normality with Russia", but that the differences still had to be argued out at the table. ABC reported that Australia and Canada also opposed the photo, and quoted a spokesperson for Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong as saying Australia would not normalise Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The talks themselves went ahead as planned. Lavrov took part in the first plenary session on Friday; Russia's foreign ministry had complained that visas for its delegation were sorted out only at the last minute. China sent Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu rather than Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to a State Department delegation list reported by WION.

Opening the meeting, Rubio said the world was "facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises" and described the moment as "a moment of choosing", according to Euronews and PTI. The State Department said the US priorities were keeping sea lanes open, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea, as well as energy and food security and supply chains for critical minerals.

India's message

In posts on X after the first plenary, reported by PTI, Jaishankar said he had stressed that diplomacy must be given a chance in the face of global challenges. He called for freedom of navigation to be preserved and for attacks on shipping to stop "within the framework of international law, especially UNCLOS", the UN law of the sea.

He said the Global South was bearing a disproportionate share of the cost of attacks on civilian ships and seafarers, which put the supply and price of fuel, food and fertiliser at risk. He said India and Liberia had launched a joint initiative to protect seafarers. According to PTI, at least 22 Indians, 14 of them seafarers, have died since the war in West Asia began in February.

On trade, Jaishankar criticised the flooding of markets, the use of supply chains as weapons and other market distortions that he said denied countries the right to industrialise, adding: "This must cease." He also warned that tactical calculations should not lead governments to overlook the dangers of terrorism, calling it a high-risk activity that "has come back to bite even the practitioners".

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said before the trip that Jaishankar would hold several bilateral meetings in Atlanta; no counterparts had been named in reports by Saturday morning IST. Foreign ministers of the Quad (India, the United States, Japan and Australia) are also due to meet on the sidelines, with the Indo-Pacific, technology, artificial intelligence and critical minerals on the agenda, according to ANI and WION.

Background

The G20 brings together 19 large economies, the European Union and the African Union. Its leaders' summit rotates among members, and the United States holds the presidency for 2026. Britain takes over next year.

This year's meeting has been shaped by who is missing as well as who is present. South Africa, which hosted the G20 last year, was not invited; its foreign ministry spokesperson Phindile Kunene told AP that the country's absence "is not voluntary". Ukraine, which is not a member, was also left out; the US said it had chosen to include only formal G20 members.

The gathering comes at a low point in relations between Washington and Kyiv. Euronews and AP reported that Trump has waived new sanctions on Russia and temporarily restricted logistical and intelligence support for Ukraine. AP also reported that US officials have told Middle Eastern governments to prepare for renewed strikes on Iran after Tuesday's US midterm elections, a prospect watched closely by Saudi Arabia, a G20 member. For India, which imports most of its oil and much of its gas and fertiliser by sea, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea is a direct economic concern.

What they are saying

Analysts quoted by AP were sceptical about what the meeting could achieve. Ian Kelly, a former US ambassador to Georgia now at Northwestern University, said inviting Lavrov would take away from the message Western members wanted to send on Ukraine. Elaine Dezenski of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said it would be "less of a meeting and more of a test".

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Lavrov would argue for swift reform of global economic institutions and a "multipolar world", AP reported. Britain's foreign secretary urged harder work towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, ABC reported, and the UK said it would continue to avoid direct bilateral contact with Russian ministers.

Participants told ABC News that, despite their differences, all members agreed to try to make the December leaders' summit a success.

What happens next

The meeting closes on Saturday, Atlanta time (late Saturday evening IST). Any chair's summary or statement issued at the end will show how far members were able to agree.

From Atlanta, Jaishankar travels to St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, where he will lead India's delegation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from November 1 to 4, according to ANI.

The G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for December 14 and 15 at Trump National Doral near Miami, according to WION and PTI. AP reported that it is not yet clear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept his invitation.

Key numbers

G20 foreign ministers' meeting: October 30-31, Atlanta

Leaders' summit: December 14-15, Miami

Indians killed since the West Asia war began in February: at least 22, including 14 seafarers (PTI)