Washington: The Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta concluded on Saturday without a consensus on several critical global security issues, with divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine overshadowing the discussions.
The grouping did not issue a joint communique and instead relied on a chairman's statement released by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the two-day meeting. The statement listed priorities identified by G20 members, including energy and food security, freedom of navigation and resilient supply chains, but did not specify any agreements reached.
“I wouldn't pretend to you today that we are close to finding universally accepted solutions to these problems,” Rubio told reporters at a news conference after the meeting.
Pleased to participate in QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, the third this year after our earlier interactions in New Delhi and Manila. Highlighted the importance of: ✅ Maintaining stability, driving prosperity and ensuring freedom of choice as our continuing commitments in the Indo-Pacific.✅ Deepening cooperation to promote supply chain resilience and ensure technology, critical minerals & energy security. ✅ Countering non-market practices and increased economic stresses in the Indo-Pacific. ✅ Taking forward agreements on counter-terrorism, maritime security and capacity building to enhance resilience & contribute to peace and stability.✅ Developing a more contemporary QUAD agenda with a practical approach. 🇮🇳 🇺🇸 🇦🇺 🇯🇵
However, he said countries represented at the meeting were working together on some issues, particularly supply chains and critical minerals.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing the G20's concluding plenary session on supply chains, called for greater resilience in global supply networks and urged countries to resist predatory practices and the politicisation of markets.
“Securing supply chains and ensuring their resilience is today central to the well-being of the global economy,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
He said the right to industrialise must be promoted and that predatory practices and the targeting of competition should be firmly resisted.
Jaishankar also stressed the importance of diversification and de-risking, including in connectivity, to protect supply chains from disruptions caused by pandemics, conflicts, climate events and other mishaps.
He called for the de-concentration of the global economy and optimisation of production across geographies to discourage the weaponisation of finance, resources, production and market share.
“The G20 should work towards de-politicisation of markets,” he said, adding that member countries must reconcile their national interests for the collective good by promoting transparent and multiple supply chains.
Rubio also placed supply chain security at the centre of the closing session, emphasising the need to keep critical trade routes open to commerce and strengthen critical mineral supply networks.
In a post on X, he specifically referred to the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, saying they must remain secure and open to trade.
The final G20 event also focused on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red, Black and South China seas.
The disagreements over Russia's war in Ukraine were among the key issues affecting the meeting. Several G20 countries had expressed concern before the gathering over Washington's decision to invite Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov amid Moscow's intensified attacks on Ukraine.
The concerns came after US President Donald Trump waived fresh sanctions on Russia and temporarily limited logistical and intelligence assistance to Ukraine. However, the US State Department announced on Friday that it had approved a proposed USD 2.1 billion sale of Patriot air defence interceptors for Ukraine.
Rubio defended the decision to invite Lavrov to Atlanta and Russian President Vladimir Putin to the upcoming G20 summit, arguing that a peaceful resolution to the conflict would require engagement with both sides.
“I don't know if negotiated peace is achievable in Ukraine. That's what we're trying to find out, but I don't think anyone here is claiming that we're on the verge of a negotiated settlement,” Rubio said.
Lavrov, meanwhile, said Moscow would not accept a situation in which Ukraine posed a “military threat to the legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation”.
It remains unclear whether Putin will accept Trump's invitation to attend the G20 summit at the US president's Miami golf club in December.
On the sidelines of the G20 gathering, Jaishankar participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting with Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Describing it as the third meeting of the Quad foreign ministers this year, following earlier interactions in New Delhi and Manila, Jaishankar said discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in supply chain resilience, technology, critical minerals and energy security.
He also highlighted the need to counter non-market practices and address growing economic pressures in the Indo-Pacific.
Jaishankar separately met Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting. The two discussed the Ukraine conflict, the Gulf situation and multilateral issues, according to the Indian minister's post on X.
Meanwhile, Rubio announced that the next Quad Leaders' Summit would be held in Manila, the Philippines, next month.
“We'll be announcing very soon, if we haven't already, that we'll be holding a Quad Leaders' Meeting in Manila next month,” Rubio said.
The summit is expected to take place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in November and bring together the leaders of India, the United States, Japan and Australia.
The announcement followed the meeting of the four countries' foreign ministers in Atlanta on October 31. It was the third such gathering this year, following meetings in New Delhi in May and Manila in July.
The proposed summit would be the first meeting of Quad leaders since the previous gathering, hosted by then US President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, in September 2024.
The United States holds the G20 presidency this year.