The United States has cancelled the traditional G20 family photo after Australia, the United Kingdom and several other countries threatened to boycott the event rather than stand alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio abandoned the planned photograph after European officials, British representatives and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong made clear they would refuse to participate in a group picture featuring Russian representatives.
The diplomatic disagreement overshadowed the opening of the meeting, which brought together foreign ministers to discuss international security, trade and economic challenges amid continuing geopolitical tensions.
Rubio nevertheless opened the talks with a call for cooperation, warning that the world was facing multiple interconnected crises.
“We are in a critical moment,” Rubio told his colleagues. “We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises.”
Australia and UK reject photo with Russian foreign minister
The cancellation followed strong objections from several participating countries over Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine and Washington’s efforts to bring Moscow back into international diplomatic engagement.
About one-third of the countries represented at the talks indicated they would not appear beside Russian officials in the traditional photograph.
European Union representatives had already made their position clear before Friday’s session, arguing that a joint picture with Lavrov would suggest a return to normal relations despite Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Germany’s foreign affairs minister, Johann Wadephul, warned that European representatives would not participate in a photograph alongside the Russian foreign minister.
“In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr Lavrov together because … there is no normality with Russia,” Wadephul said.
The United Kingdom adopted a similar position, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband indicating that his country would not engage with Russian representatives in that manner.
“We do not engage in that way with the Russians and have not for a number of years,” Miliband said.
The refusal by several countries placed the US administration in a difficult position as it sought to maintain the meeting’s diplomatic purpose while managing disagreements over Russia’s participation.
Australia condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, used the opening session to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, describing the conflict as brutal and unjustified.
Her remarks were delivered in the presence of Lavrov, underlining the deep divisions between Moscow and several Western governments over the war.
Wong also argued that Russia’s actions had consequences beyond the battlefield, affecting international markets and worsening global food security.
A spokesperson for the Australian minister said Canberra supported the American decision to cancel the family photograph.
“Australia has been clear and consistent: we will not normalise Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.
“Our focus at the G20 remains on the important work before us and addressing the challenges facing the global economy.”
Australia’s position reflected a broader concern among Western governments that symbolic diplomatic gestures could be interpreted as acceptance of Russia’s conduct in Ukraine.
The cancelled photograph therefore became a visible expression of the political divisions confronting the G20, despite the participating countries’ stated commitment to addressing shared economic and security challenges.
Trump administration’s Russia policy deepens diplomatic divisions
The disagreement in Atlanta highlights the divisions surrounding President Donald Trump’s efforts to reintegrate Russia and President Vladimir Putin into the international community while Moscow continues its war against Ukraine.
The United States has sought to engage Russia through diplomatic initiatives, but several participating countries remain opposed to gestures they believe could suggest that relations have returned to normal.
Diplomats who attended the opening session described the atmosphere as cordial. However, they said Russia remained unwilling to change its position on Ukraine.
Moscow also opposes Poland’s proposed membership of the G20, adding another disagreement to an already complicated diplomatic agenda.
The differences are expected to make it difficult for the foreign ministers to agree on a joint communiqué when their meeting concludes on Saturday.
Participants also pointed to Washington’s decision not to invite South Africa, a founding G20 member, despite objections from other countries.
These disputes have raised questions about whether the meeting can produce a unified statement on the major international issues facing the group.
Poland seeks G20 membership with US support
Poland attended the Atlanta meeting as a guest, marking its first participation in a G20 foreign ministers’ gathering.
The country is seeking full membership and has received support from the United States for its ambition.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski acknowledged the difficulty of reaching agreement when countries involved in ongoing conflicts are represented at the same diplomatic table.
“We have wars going on and we have participants in those wars around the table, so it’s very difficult to agree a common line,” Sikorski told reporters.
His remarks reflected the challenge facing the foreign ministers as they attempt to reconcile sharply different positions on international conflicts and membership of the global economic forum.
Despite the disagreements, several participants said countries had agreed to keep working towards a compromise and to support the success of next month’s G20 leaders’ summit in Florida.
The summit will be hosted by President Trump, with the diplomatic divisions in Atlanta likely to remain a significant challenge ahead of the gathering.
Ukraine and South Africa absent from invitation list
Ukraine, which is not a G20 member, was not invited to this year’s meeting. The country had attended previous gatherings after receiving invitations.
US officials said the decision was deliberate, explaining that Washington had chosen to invite only formal members of the group, alongside arrangements for other invited participants.
The absence of South Africa, however, has attracted particular attention because it is a founding member of the G20 and the only African country represented in the forum.
Relations between Pretoria and the Trump administration have been strained by several disputes. During South Africa’s G20 presidency last year, Trump and Rubio were among the senior US officials who stayed away from meetings hosted by the country.
South Africa has rejected suggestions that its absence from the current gathering was voluntary.
“We have consistently maintained that our nonparticipation is not voluntary,” said Phindile Kunene, a spokesperson for South Africa’s international relations minister, Ronald Lamola.
The dispute has added another layer of tension to the diplomatic proceedings, with questions about participation and representation complicating efforts to reach consensus.
G20 faces challenge ahead of Florida summit
The cancellation of the family photograph illustrates how disagreements over Russia, Ukraine and membership of the group are affecting the G20’s ability to present a united front.
Although the meeting is intended to address international economic and security concerns, competing diplomatic priorities have made consensus increasingly difficult.
The foreign ministers are expected to conclude their discussions on Saturday, but participants have acknowledged that the divisions could prevent them from issuing a joint communiqué.
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Attention will then turn to the leaders’ summit scheduled for Florida next month, where Trump will host representatives of the G20 countries.
The Atlanta meeting has demonstrated that even a traditional diplomatic event such as a family photograph can become a point of confrontation when governments disagree over war, international legitimacy and relations with Russia.
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