G20 ministers scrap Atlanta photo as Russia row derails unity
What's next: The meeting is expected to end without a joint declaration, underscoring how wars and trade disputes are splitting the bloc.
G20 foreign ministers opened talks in Atlanta under sharp strain after the United States canceled the customary group photo when several European officials refused to appear with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Secretary of State Marco Rubio kept the meeting on track but faced little prospect of a unified outcome, with participants expecting no joint communique at the end of the two-day session. The divisions center on Russia’s war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, US tariffs and tensions in the South China Sea. Rubio urged cooperation, warning that overlapping crises are threatening energy and food supplies, trade and freedom of navigation. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband directly accused Lavrov over Russian attacks in Ukraine, while German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said there was “no normalcy with Russia.”