The family photo is usually the least controversial moment of any summit. In Atlanta it never happened. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hosting the foreign ministers of the Group of 20 on Friday, called off the customary opening snapshot after roughly a third of the delegations made clear they would not pose alongside Russia’s Sergei Lavrov.
Europe led the refusal. Germany’s Johann Wadephul said before the session that there was “no normality with Russia” and ruled out any picture with Lavrov. Britain and Australia took the same line. A US official explained that Washington preferred to drop the ceremony rather than let it turn into what he called a “diplomatic distraction”. Poland’s Radosław Sikorski, attending as a guest for the first time, welcomed the move as “the right decision”.
Inside the room, the tone was frank. Britain’s Ed Miliband addressed Lavrov directly, telling him that everyone knew who the aggressor in the war was. With Lavrov only a few seats away, Penny Wong of Australia called Moscow’s war brutal and unjustified. Rubio opened proceedings with a call for unity, warning that the world faced several linked economic and geopolitical crises.
The quarrel over a picture reflects a deeper split. President Donald Trump’s administration has been courting Moscow, easing some sanctions and agreeing to buy Russian diesel, steps that Kyiv and European capitals have sharply criticised. Ukraine, a regular guest at past G20 meetings, was not invited this time, and neither was founding member South Africa, which is locked in several disputes with Washington.
Few expect much when the talks end on Saturday. Participants say a joint communique is unlikely, although the ministers did agree to try to bridge their differences ahead of the leaders’ summit that Trump plans to host in Florida.
