G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in US Begins with Ukraine and Middle East Tensions
At the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting held in Atlanta, deep disagreements persist due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. While the traditional family photo session was canceled due to the participation of his Russian counterpart Lavrov, US Secretary of State Rubio called for cooperation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for joint action against crises threatening the global economic order at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting he hosted in Atlanta. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's participation in the meeting led to serious diplomatic tensions among participants due to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
During the meeting, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband directly addressed his Russian counterpart Lavrov, criticizing him over attacks on civilians. Lavrov, in turn, stated that Moscow's stance on the conflict in Ukraine remains unchanged. As European countries refused to appear in the same frame with Lavrov, the traditional G20 family photo session was not held. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that such a photo is unacceptable as long as there is no normalization process with Russia.
It was noted that a broad consensus was reached at the meeting on the economic impacts of the war in the Middle East. Concerns were raised, in particular, that potential new US strikes against Iran could sharply drive up oil prices. This final ministerial meeting ahead of the leaders' summit to be held in Miami in December is expected to conclude with a chairmanship statement rather than a joint communique.
Sources
- usnews.com · Link