Russian finance minister attends Asheville G20 as European officials boycott group photo
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended the G20 finance meeting in North Carolina and met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, prompting European delegates to boycott the traditional group photograph.
Russian attendance in Asheville
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on 31 August 2026. The gathering was the first in-person attendance by a Russian finance minister at a G20 ministerial event since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Siluanov traveled with representatives of the Russian Central Bank, ending a sequence of four consecutive G20 ministerial meetings conducted without in-person Russian financial delegates. During prior summits since 2022, Siluanov participated exclusively through video feeds, including a 2022 session in which former United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen walked out of the room during his address. While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended earlier diplomatic G20 gatherings, Russian finance officials had remained physically absent.
- Janet Yellen walks out of G20 ministerial session during Anton Siluanov's virtual address following the invasion of Ukraine
- European finance ministers and Christine Lagarde meet in the evening to coordinate opposition to Russian participation
- Anton Siluanov attends Asheville summit and meets Scott Bessent, but is excluded from the official group photo
Bilateral talks on Ukraine peace plan
United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hosted the North Carolina summit and held a bilateral meeting with Siluanov on the sidelines of the plenary sessions. The United States Treasury Department reported that Bessent presented President Donald Trump's 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine and discussed global economic growth. Russia's finance ministry stated that the bilateral discussion covered financial cooperation between the two nations and joint engagement within the G20 structure. Questioned in the Oval Office regarding the Russian delegation's presence in the United States, Trump defended the diplomatic contact.
We like getting along with everybody. One of the reasons I'm so successful is that I get along with everybody.
Beyond discussions on Ukraine, Bessent addressed economic sanctions against Iran following a recent series of military strikes between the United States and Tehran. Bessent thanked European partners for supporting economic measures against Tehran and stated that the goal was for Iran's economy to stabilize rather than collapse, following the economic pressure measures introduced the previous week. Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti confirmed European alignment with Washington on Iranian sanctions policy, noting that the two-day agenda provided an opportunity to clarify joint economic positions.
European pushback and photo boycott
European finance ministers and central bank leaders strongly contested Siluanov's presence at the summit. German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, British counterpart John Healey, and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde held evening consultations on Sunday, 30 August 2026, to determine a common position. While the officials acknowledged that maintaining a communication channel allowed them to deliver a direct message, Klingbeil stated during the plenary session that Moscow had to end the war and that Europe unequivocally backed Ukraine. Klingbeil noted that European governments were preparing an additional sanctions package against Russia following renewed strikes, including a bombardment near Kyiv that killed 37 people.
A joint approach would be best, yet it is sometimes unclear whether there might be a loosening of the stance over there. That is why I find the signal sent by receiving the Russian finance minister here quite troubling.
Discontent among European delegations culminated over the scheduling of the traditional family photograph of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. Klingbeil and other European ministers informed organizers that they would refuse to participate in the group photograph if Siluanov was included in the lineup. In response to the planned European boycott, the summit organizers arranged for the official group photograph to be taken without the presence of the Russian delegation.
Summit guest list selections
As the host nation responsible for compiling the invitation list, the United States made several adjustments to the summit roster. The host government chose not to invite South Africa, which had served as the host of the G20 summit the previous year. Spain was likewise excluded from the Asheville gathering, following previous trade dispute threats made by Trump regarding commerce between Washington and Madrid.
