Rubio cancels G20 group photo as Sikorski refuses to pose with Lavrov in Atlanta

Group photo dropped in Atlanta

The United States called off the traditional group photo of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta after some European diplomats refused to stand alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to two US officials who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, some of the Europeans threatened to walk out of the ceremony if they were made to pose with him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the decision on Thursday evening, 29 October, judging that the dispute would pull attention from the meeting's core topics. Rubio chairs the talks, which run through Friday, 30 October and Saturday, 31 October.

Lavrov's long journey

Lavrov reached the meeting after a trip of more than 20 hours, according to Russian media reports published on Friday that cited the Moscow Times. TASS said the route was lengthened to avoid the airspace of states Moscow counts as unfriendly, a group Russia says includes 49 countries, mainly European Union members. The delegation reached the state of Georgia overnight from Thursday to Friday. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the delegation had difficulties obtaining US visas, which were resolved only at the last minute. She suggested those difficulties could indicate that not everyone in Washington was pleased by the visit.

Criticism in Washington

Republican Congressman Don Bacon said Lavrov should not be granted entry to the United States, and Lavrov is under sanctions over Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said President Donald Trump should apply real pressure on Vladimir Putin rather than roll out a red carpet on US soil for Putin's associates. Separately, Reuters reported, citing four people familiar with the matter, that Pentagon representatives asked some NATO allies to soften their statements about the Russian threat. The requests reportedly reached Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and Elbridge Colby was named as one of those who conveyed them. The Pentagon declined to comment on private conversations between allies.

Sikorski's position

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told reporters in Atlanta on Friday that there would be no joint photo with Lavrov. He called Lavrov's presence uncomfortable and said Russia belongs to international organisations that have rules members must follow. When asked about the reported US suggestions to soften the tone toward Moscow, Sikorski pointed to a Russian attack on the railway station in Dnipro earlier that day. He said he would like someone to explain how to react to the killing of a dozen or so passengers there, and asked how one could avoid protesting a war that has already claimed over a million victims.

“I am not the only one who does not want a photo with Lavrov.”

Sikorski said the host's decision not to hold the photo was the right one. Asked what message he would send to Lavrov, he repeated the one he had already delivered at the United Nations.

“Enough, five years of bloody war, that is enough.”

Poland's agenda and what comes next

Sikorski thanked the US side for the invitation and listed the topics on the agenda: freedom of navigation, access to food and energy issues. He said Poland has a lot to say on all three, stressing that protecting undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea matters greatly to Poland. He pointed out that Ukrainian grain is not reaching Egypt and other countries, one of the reasons he gave for ending Russia's aggression. Sikorski said Poland wanted to present itself in Atlanta as an influential representative of its region. The meeting is meant to prepare a December G20 leaders' summit that Trump will host at his golf club in Miami. It is not yet known whether Putin will accept Trump's invitation to that summit.