Rubio Urges G20 Unity as Lavrov’s Presence Deepens Divisions in Atlanta

Atlanta, United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on his G20 counterparts on Friday to cooperate on geopolitical stability and economic prosperity, cautioning that a run of crises threatened the global economic order. The presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, invited by Rubio, has unsettled many ministers at the two-day meeting.

Divisions over Ukraine and the Middle East

Lavrov’s attendance has aggravated deep rifts over the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The meeting is expected to close without a joint declaration, since such texts need consensus, which has been hard or impossible to reach since Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband addressed Lavrov directly. He said Russian drones had attacked and killed 15 people the previous day, and that there were countless similar cases of civilians being killed during the war. He added: “We all know you are the aggressor.”

Lavrov later told reporters, according to Russian news agencies, that Moscow’s stance on the Ukraine conflict had not changed. He said Russia could not accept Ukraine posing a military danger to the legal security interests of Russia.

Family photo dropped

US officials said the customary G20 group photograph was skipped after European officials declined to be pictured with Lavrov. One US official said Washington wished to avoid a scene that might overshadow the talks. A Western diplomat said a third of the members objected, among them Australia and Canada.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters that a photograph with Lavrov was unacceptable because “there is no normalcy with Russia.” One participant said Lavrov himself acknowledged there had been worries about the photo, prompting nods from many people in the room.

Rubio’s appeal

Rubio said the world faced interconnected crises that endangered global energy and food supplies, trade and freedom of navigation. He urged ministers to look for common ground at this final ministerial gathering before the leaders summit in Miami, Florida, from December 14 to 16.

He said ministers were charged, on behalf of their nations, with working jointly to coordinate responses to emerging crises and to defend shared interests. In his view, they could help shape the context for greater geopolitical stability and the broader economic prosperity agenda that leaders would address.

Economic pressure and Iran

Two Western officials said G20 members broadly agreed on how severe the economic challenges were for almost every country because of the war in the Middle East. They said many participants feared that renewed US strikes on Iran would drive oil prices sharply higher and worsen the strain.

One of the officials, who spoke anonymously because of a lack of authorization to speak publicly, said a possible new military operation in Iran was on everyone’s mind. The official added that everyone was under deep pressure.