European diplomats refused to stand alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for an official group photograph at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta, prompting the American hosts to cancel the planned photo entirely.
Two officials confirmed the cancellation of the traditional "family photo," which is typically taken with representatives from all attending nations. A US official said the picture was dropped "after it became clear some of the delegations were unwilling to participate in a joint photo."
"Rather than allow a ceremonial photo opportunity to become a diplomatic distraction, the US decided to forgo the photo and keep the focus on the substantive discussions," the official said.
The two-day meeting, hosted in Atlanta by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, concluded without agreement on several key global security issues.
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband directly confronted Lavrov during the summit. "Let me say this directly to the Russian Foreign Minister: We all know who the aggressor in this war is," Miliband said, accusing Russia of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
Miliband also called on G20 member countries to "work harder to secure just and lasting peace in Ukraine," adding that "Russia's war continues to cause colossal global harm - including the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and disruption that hits energy and supplies and worsens food insecurity."
"This war is not simply a test for Europe or for Nato - it requires all of us to apply economic and diplomatic pressure to deprive Putin of the revenues that perpetuate this barbaric war," he said.
One British official stated that the UK maintains "a longstanding policy not to have direct, bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine."
Ukraine was not invited to the Atlanta meeting, despite having been included in similar G20 gatherings in recent years. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and currently controls approximately a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Moscow has in recent weeks intensified missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
Relations between Ukraine and the United States have been particularly strained this month, following a diplomatic standoff between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over Kyiv's strikes on oil infrastructure inside Russia.
In contrast, ties between Washington and Moscow appear to have partially thawed. Trump waived some sanctions against Russia and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the American market. Trump said the decision to suspend several Russian sanctions is intended to keep Moscow at the negotiating table.
Zelensky criticised the deal, calling it "a gift" to Putin that amounts to "an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged." Ukraine's European allies have also heavily criticised the arrangement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is willing to supply both the US and global markets with oil and petroleum products, noting that Moscow had introduced a ban on diesel exports earlier this year.
Despite the diplomatic tensions, the US State Department this week approved the sale of more than two billion dollars' worth of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, described as a critically needed munition for the country's air defences.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Rubio signed an Arctic cooperation deal with Japan and South Korea and confirmed Washington's participation in Riyadh's World Expo in 2030. Rubio also urged G20 officials to work together to confront threats to the global economic order.
