The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, United States, was marked by diplomatic tensions after European representatives refused to appear in the traditional family photo alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Lavrov was invited to the meeting chaired by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. To reach the United States, the Russian foreign minister travelled for more than 20 hours from Russia, avoiding the airspace of countries that imposed sanctions on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine.
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His participation provoked discontent among the European delegations, which refused to pose alongside him.
To prevent the situation from escalating, the United States decided not to hold the group photo.
A US official told the BBC that the ceremony was cancelled after it became clear that several delegations did not wish to take part.
According to the official, the US did not want a symbolic gesture to become a diplomatic obstacle and preferred to keep attention focused on the summit’s main issues.
The tense atmosphere was also evident during the debates among representatives of the participating countries.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband addressed Lavrov and accused Russia of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
“We all know who the aggressor is in this war,” Miliband told his Russian counterpart during the meeting.
Lavrov reacted angrily to the decision by the European representatives not to be photographed alongside him.
At a press conference, he commented ironically on their stance, saying:
“If the only thing they care about is how they look in the family photo and who is standing next to them, then that says it all.”
The G20 incident occurred as relations between Russia and Western countries remain tense because of the war in Ukraine.
