G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta meeting head to an ending without consensus on key issues

Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies are wrapping up two days of talks Saturday without reaching consensus on several critical global security issues after divisions, notably over Russia's war with Ukraine, overshadowed the start of the Atlanta meeting.

As a result, the group will not release a joint communique but will rather rely on a chairman’s statement summarizing the talks, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio will release at the conclusion, according to diplomats who attended.

Nonetheless, Rubio said the first day of the session was “very productive” and he was hosting talks with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan on Saturday before leading the final G20 event. That discussion on supply chains will examine freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red, Black and South China seas.

“Together, I think that we are mapping a vibrant, dynamic, and bold economic future, one that will pioneer new horizons for the entire world,” Rubio said at a reception for participants late Friday.

The traditional group photo was canceled

Rubio had opened the talks Friday with an appeal for unity, but then canceled the traditional group photo of the foreign ministers. European diplomats objected to the inclusion of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and threatened to boycott or walk out of the snapshot.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who was representing his country for the first time as a guest at a G20 meeting, said he was not surprised by the failure to reach consensus.

“We have wars going on, and we have participants in those wars around the table, so it’s very difficult to agree on a common line,” he told reporters.

Other participants in the meetings, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private talks, said all had agreed to try to overcome their differences despite the long odds and to work to make next month’s summit of G20 leaders hosted by President Donald Trump in Florida a success.

These diplomats said a chairman's statement had long been the plan because of the deep differences among the attendees, including over the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, U.S. tariffs and Chinese moves in the South China Sea. All have contributed to spikes in the global cost of fuel as well as uncertainty about trade.

They described the opening session as cordial but said Russia’s position on Ukraine was unyielding — as was its opposition to Poland’s membership in the G20. They said the disagreements also included the Trump administration’s decision not to invite G20 member South Africa over the objections of others.

Russia’s presence at G20 gathering roils Europeans

Before the meeting began, some G20 countries had expressed concern that the U.S. invited Russia during its heightened attacks on Ukraine, especially after Trump pushed ties with Ukraine to new lows by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.

The State Department, however, announced Friday that it had approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air defense interceptors for Ukraine.

Lavrov said Moscow would not allow a situation in which Ukraine poses a “military threat to legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation."

Lavrov has traveled only infrequently to NATO member states since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and resulting severe sanctions were imposed on Moscow. It is unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept Trump’s invitation to attend the summit at Trump's Miami golf club in December.

The Iran war hangs over the G20 event

Also hanging over the G20 meeting was the prospect of new U.S. military intervention in Iran. That has put the region, including G20 member Saudi Arabia, on edge. Rubio met on Friday with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country has been a key mediator.

The Associated Press has reported that U.S. officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military strikes against Iran after U.S. elections Tuesday and the possibility that Iran will retaliate.