European officials, including British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, refused to stand alongside Sergei Lavrov, maintaining their hardline stance against formal engagements with Moscow following the 2022 invasion. US officials opted to cancel the ceremonial session entirely to prevent further distractions from policy discussions. Notably, Ukraine was excluded from an invitation to this gathering, despite having participated in past ministerial events. The incident highlights mounting strain as European allies strongly object to recent American policy shifts, such as easing certain Russian sanctions to import diesel.
Key points
European diplomats prevented a visual display of unity with Russia by refusing to partici…: European diplomats prevented a visual display of unity with Russia by refusing to participate in the group picture.
Diplomatic discord is mounting as Washington softens sanctions against Moscow to import d…: Diplomatic discord is mounting as Washington softens sanctions against Moscow to import diesel while European partners maintain their distance.
Ukraine was left off the summit's guest list despite having attended similar major intern…: Ukraine was left off the summit's guest list despite having attended similar major international gatherings in recent years.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
European diplomats have refused to stand for an official photo with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the US, leading to the American hosts cancelling the planned picture.
Two officials confirmed to the BBC the cancellation of the so-called family photo scheduled for Friday morning, which would usually include representatives from all the nations in attendance.
The meeting, which gathers top diplomats from the world's biggest economies, is being hosted in Atlanta by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ukraine is not not a G20 member but has been invited to similar meetings in recent years. However, Ukraine was not invited to this meeting.
Relations between Ukraine and the US have been particularly tense this month, with a diplomatic standoff between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over Kyiv's strikes on oil infrastructure within Russia.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is present and a diplomatic source confirmed the UK was among the countries which refused to participate in the picture.
One British official said: "The UK has a longstanding…
Diplomatic rifts took center stage as European officials protested the attendance of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov amid ongoing attacks on Ukraine. The tensions prompted Secretary of State Marco Rubio to scrap the traditional group photo to avoid boycotts, even as he urged attendees to confront shared economic and geopolitical threats. The summit serves as a contentious stepping stone for a planned gathering of world leaders later this year.
The child's death on Friday follows a critical shooting two days prior in the southern Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, local civil defence teams continue to retrieve casualties from earlier bombardments across the territory amid persistent drone and ground attacks. These incidents underscore the ongoing physical toll and sustained military pressure impacting communities in both northern and southern Gaza.
Rising maritime strikes in Middle Eastern waters are driving up global living costs and directly endangering vital transit corridors. New Delhi is actively rallying international diplomatic support to preserve regional freedom of navigation and secure crucial trade lines. These volatile disruptions increasingly threaten the economic stability of developing nations by squeezing supplies of essential commodities like food and fuel.