Diplomacy
The G20 skipped the photograph with Lavrov.
Reuters: foreign ministers in Atlanta dropped the group picture Friday after Europeans objected to standing with the Russian minister. The photograph is the head table. Lavrov is not in it.
The Rocket News · Foreign Desk · AtlantaOctober 31, 2026 · 2 min read
ATLANTA — Foreign ministers from the G20 skipped the traditional group photograph before their meeting here on Friday, after European representatives objected to being pictured with Russia, Reuters reported. A U.S. official said the State Department had taken the family photo off the official agenda because Washington did not want it to become a spectacle. A third of the participants, including Australia and Canada, opposed being photographed with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a Western diplomat said. Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, told reporters: “In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr. Lavrov together because ... there is no normalcy with Russia.”
The photograph is Friday, Oct. 30, in Atlanta. Megan Varner made it for Reuters, from the pool. Britain’s Ed Miliband, Poland’s Radoslaw Sikorski and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are at the head table. The nameplates also read African Union and Argentina. Sergei Lavrov is not in this frame. It is not the family photograph they skipped.
In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr. Lavrov together.
Wire and further reading: reuters.com
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