External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar joined G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta on Friday for talks on energy security, supply chains and global economic stability, as disagreements over Russia’s participation led the United States to cancel the traditional group photograph.
Jaishankar, who arrived in the US city on Friday, is also scheduled to attend a meeting of the Quad, comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia, on the sidelines of the two-day gathering. The Quad ministers are expected to discuss Indo-Pacific strategy, technology, artificial intelligence and critical minerals. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Jaishankar would also hold bilateral meetings with other G20 counterparts.
The decision to cancel the group photograph came after several European ministers objected to being photographed alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and threatened to boycott the session or walk out. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is hosting the meeting, scrapped the photograph after deciding that the dispute would become a distraction, two US officials said on condition of anonymity.
The talks otherwise proceeded as planned. However, the cancellation of a photograph traditionally taken at the start of such diplomatic gatherings highlighted the divisions within the G20 over global security and economic issues.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters in Atlanta that European ministers would not pose with Lavrov, adding that there could be “no normality” with Russia. The UK said it had long avoided direct bilateral contact with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine and that its position would not change. Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called the cancellation “the right decision”, saying he was not alone in refusing to be photographed with Lavrov.
Unease over Russia’s invitation had been building before the photograph controversy. Some G20 members questioned why Moscow had been invited while its attacks on Ukraine were intensifying.
The concerns grew after US President Donald Trump waived fresh sanctions on Russia and temporarily limited logistical and intelligence support to Ukraine, pushing ties between Washington and Kyiv to a new low.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also complained that visa arrangements for its delegation had been resolved only at the last minute. The complications had created the impression that “not everyone in Washington is happy” about Lavrov’s attendance, ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. She added that the Russian foreign minister would use the meeting to advocate the “swift reform of global economic institutions”.
Lavrov has travelled infrequently to NATO member states since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and Western sanctions were imposed on Moscow.
His presence in Atlanta could also create domestic political difficulties for Trump ahead of the US midterm elections, according to Ian Kelly, a former US ambassador to Georgia during Trump’s first term.
“It seems politically boneheaded to invite him,” Kelly, who now teaches international relations and diplomacy at Northwestern University, said.
He noted that some Republican lawmakers were unhappy with Trump’s conciliatory approach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Democrats could use the invitation to criticise the administration ahead of the elections.
Kelly also said Lavrov’s attendance could make it harder for Western G20 members to present a unified position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The US has said the agenda for the meeting includes energy security, supply chains and keeping international sea lanes open. These issues are particularly significant for India, which relies heavily on imports of oil, liquefied natural gas and fertilisers.
In his opening remarks, Rubio urged ministers to work together, describing the gathering as a “moment of choosing” for the US and the world.
“I hope this will be a productive meeting, as we are in a critical moment. I would call it a moment of choosing, and I would say not just for my country, the United States of America, but frankly, for the world,” he said.
Rubio pointed to interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, including disruptions to energy and food supplies, trade tensions and threats to freedom of navigation.
“We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises, many of which pose severe threats, severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order. New disruptions and strains to global energy and food supplies, and food markets, to the global supply chain, to trade, to freedom of navigation itself,” he said.
Calling for a coordinated response, Rubio said the G20 must work together to strengthen economic resilience, safeguard markets and protect the economies they sustain.
He also said the challenges addressed by the Trump administration were “multifaceted and interconnected” and required solutions that were equally broad.
The ministerial meeting, he said, could help establish the context for greater geopolitical stability and the wider economic prosperity agenda that world leaders would take up.
“As diplomats, as political leaders, uh, we have a vital role to play,” Rubio said, urging delegates to coordinate responses to emerging crises and protect shared interests.
He called on the ministers to translate common interests into practical cooperation and action to reinforce global stability and deliver results for their citizens.
In a post on X, Rubio said maritime and food security were central to economic security. He added that the US, through its “America First” agenda, was encouraging partners to protect shipping routes, strengthen food security and reduce the economic consequences of geopolitical crises.
The US has identified freedom of navigation as a key issue for the meeting, with discussions expected to cover the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea. The agenda also includes issues relating to Iran, Russia’s war against Ukraine and China’s relations with its smaller neighbours.
The prospect of renewed US military action against Iran is another concern hanging over the gathering. The Associated Press has reported that US officials have told several Middle Eastern countries and regional allies to prepare for possible renewed military strikes against Iran after the midterm elections, as well as the possibility of Iranian retaliation.
Despite the focus on shared economic and security challenges, there is scepticism about whether the G20 members can overcome their differences.
Elaine Dezenski, head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said the Atlanta meeting would test whether the US could build cooperation among partners despite widening disagreements over the global economic order.
She said the Trump administration had shown a willingness to work outside the G20 framework to form coalitions advancing its foreign policy goals.
The meeting has also drawn attention to the absence of South Africa, a founding G20 member and the only African country in the group. Ukraine, which is not a G20 member but had been invited to previous meetings, was also not invited this year. US officials said they had consciously chosen to include only formal members of the group.
South Africa’s absence is particularly notable because it chaired the G20 last year. Top US officials, including Trump and Rubio, had stayed away from the meetings hosted by Pretoria amid disputes with the Trump administration.
South Africa said its nonparticipation was not voluntary. “We have consistently maintained that our nonparticipation is not voluntary,” said Phindile Kunene, spokesperson for South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.
Kunene welcomed support from other G20 members that had raised concerns about the country's exclusion. She said South Africa remained ready to participate “on an equal footing with other members” when Britain takes over the G20 presidency next year.
The list of participants for the 2026 G20 leaders’ summit published by the US also does not include South Africa, while Poland, which is not a regular G20 member, appears on it.
Trump is scheduled to host the leaders’ summit in Miami in December. It remains unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept his invitation.
The G20 is a forum of major advanced and emerging economies that coordinates global economic policy. Founded in 1999 following the Asian financial crisis, it comprises 19 countries, the European Union and the African Union, which joined in 2023.
(With agency inputs from AP via PTI, ANI)