G20 foreign ministers end Atlanta meeting without consensus on Ukraine

No consensus in Atlanta

Foreign ministers from the G20 ended their two-day meeting in Atlanta on 31 October without agreement on security issues, with Russia's war against Ukraine the main dividing line. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who took part in the talks, had promised a joint declaration summarising the discussions later that Saturday. At his closing news conference he acknowledged that participants were still far from resolving their main disagreements. He called the first day very productive and pointed to a group of countries working together on supply chains and critical minerals.

Rubio told partners that secure supply chains are essential for growth, and that trade routes including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb strait must stay safe and open. The supply chain debate also touched on freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea. On Saturday, before the final G20 session, Rubio held separate talks with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan.

A cancelled group photo

Rubio opened Friday's discussions with a call for unity, but then cancelled the traditional group photo of the ministers. European diplomats had objected to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov taking part, and threatened to boycott the photo session or walk out during it. Russia is a G20 member, and Lavrov's presence stirred unease among the participants. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the lack of consensus did not surprise him, because wars are under way and the people at the table are parties to them. It is his first G20 meeting, attending as a guest invited by Poland.

Delegates who spoke on condition of anonymity said the delegations agreed to try to narrow their differences.

A possible Trump-Putin meeting

Rubio and Lavrov had a brief exchange, which Rubio described as not a formal meeting. Rubio said the two had briefly discussed whether Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could exchange views at the APEC summit next month, scheduled for 18 and 19 November in Shenzhen. Lavrov described the conversation as fairly pleasant and short, and said they covered parts of bilateral relations and cooperation in multilateral bodies. Trump had earlier said he was ready to meet Russian and Chinese leaders in China in November, and on Saturday he told reporters he would have no problem inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well. Rubio also said Zelensky could be invited to the G20 summit in Miami in December if Trump judged that his presence could produce something positive.

Ukraine talks stalled

Rubio said he did not know whether a negotiated peace in Ukraine was achievable, adding that this is what Washington is trying to establish. He said no one in Atlanta claimed the sides were close to a negotiated deal. Kyiv has worried that the United States had softened its stance toward Russia ahead of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, which are expected in early November without an official date. Ukrainian officials do not expect the first round to produce a breakthrough, but hope it will restart regular negotiations and bring limited results. Rubio's more guarded tone follows more than a year and a half of efforts by Trump to negotiate a peace deal. Trump was optimistic at first about reaching an agreement within months of taking office, but Russia repeatedly refused a ceasefire and the lack of progress frustrated him several times.

Black Sea and Istanbul

Zelensky made remarks in Istanbul after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at roughly the same time Rubio was speaking in Atlanta. Few concrete results were announced, but Zelensky said the two leaders had discussed the situation in the Black Sea. He said Turkey consistently backs Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as steps that can secure navigation in the Black Sea. Attacks by Russia and Ukraine on Black Sea shipping had intensified over the preceding months. In August, Ankara had asked for a moratorium on attacks against ships after several incidents.