G20 ministers cancel traditional group photograph amid dispute over Russia

Foreign ministers attending the G20 meeting have skipped the forum’s traditional group “family” photograph after several delegations objected to being pictured alongside Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. The United States, which is hosting the meeting, removed the photograph from the official agenda on Friday, according to a US official cited by ABC News Australia. Washington said it did not want the image to become a spectacle or distract from the talks.

European representatives, Australia and Canada had made clear that they opposed the proposed photograph. A spokesperson for Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia supported the host’s decision. “Our focus at the G20 remains on the important work before us and addressing the challenges facing the global economy,” the spokesperson said.

The disagreement was particularly connected to Russia’s war against Ukraine. British Foreign Secretary Ed Milliband criticised Moscow’s position, saying countries needed to work harder for a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine” if they were serious about their values and interests. He described the war as an assault on Ukraine and on principles including international law, sovereignty and self-determination.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also referred directly to the dispute. “I am not the only one who does not want to be photographed with Lavrov,” he told reporters in Atlanta, according to ABC News Australia. The cancelled image was a visible sign of divisions that extended well beyond the ceremonial event.

The meeting agenda included the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, US tariffs and China’s actions in the South China Sea. The reports said these issues had contributed to higher global fuel costs and uncertainty surrounding trade. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened the talks by calling for unity.

He said the world was at “a critical moment” and pointed to disruptions affecting energy and food supplies, trade and freedom of navigation. Rubio warned that these pressures posed severe threats to the foundations of the global economic order. Diplomats described the opening session as cordial, but participants said Russia’s position on Ukraine remained unyielding.

Moscow also opposed Poland’s membership in the G20. Other disagreements involved the Trump administration’s decision not to invite G20 member South Africa, despite objections from other participants. Those disputes may prevent the foreign ministers from agreeing a joint communiqué when the meeting ends on Saturday, participants told ABC News Australia.

Several attendees, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to discuss closed-door negotiations, said members had nevertheless agreed to try to bridge their differences and support the success of the G20 leaders’ summit scheduled for the following month in Florida. The missing photograph therefore reflects both a specific diplomatic objection and the broader difficulty of presenting unity while members remain divided over Russia, security, trade and the global economy.