G20 Foreign Ministers Meet in Atlanta as Wars Split the Table

Updated 06:35 UTC: G20 scraps its family photo as allies refuse to stand with Lavrov, and Lavrov says Russia's position is unchanged

Updated 06:35 UTC, Oct. 31, 2026. The G20 foreign ministers meeting in Atlanta opened on Friday without its traditional family photo. More than a third of the attending officials had threatened to walk out rather than be pictured alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, two Western officials told CNN. The United States explored taking two family photos, one with Lavrov and one without, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio then scrapped the photo altogether, the officials said.

"The photo was canceled after it became clear that some of the delegations were unwilling to participate in a joint photo," a United States official said. "Rather than allow a ceremonial photo opportunity to become a diplomatic distraction, the United States decided to forgo the photo and keep the focus on the substantive discussions and shared priorities of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting."

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had said earlier on Friday: "In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr. Lavrov together because ... there is no normalcy with Russia," Reuters reported. The United States State Department agenda for the meeting did not include the family shot, and ministers began the first session without posing for photographers.

Lavrov dismissed the row at a press conference in Atlanta later on Friday. "If what matters most to them is how they look in the family photo and who is standing next to them, well, that says it all," he said, according to CNN. He said he had met briefly with Rubio at the ministerial and that they "had a fairly good conversation."

In a separate briefing, Lavrov said Russia's position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged and that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's comments on maintaining strikes on Russian targets were unhelpful in preparing for new talks, Reuters reported. Fundamental issues in relations between the United States and Russia were unresolved, he said, with sanctions in force and arms still being provided to Kyiv, pointing to the State Department announcement on Friday that it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine. Both sides have said they are willing to hold three sided talks with the United States, and Zelenskiy has said he hopes a trilateral meeting will take place in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and 10.

Diplomats now expect the Atlanta meeting to end with a statement from the chair rather than a joint statement, a sign the 20 countries cannot reach consensus on the wars.

The original report follows.

Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 largest economies opened a two day meeting in Atlanta on Friday, October 30, 2026, with the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East hanging over every item on the agenda.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio chairs the talks on October 30 and 31. The United States holds the rotating G20 presidency this year, and the Atlanta meeting prepares the ground for a leaders summit planned for December. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is attending, a rare trip to a NATO member country since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. China sent a deputy foreign minister, Ma Zhaoxu, instead of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are also in Atlanta.

Who is not in the room

Two absences shape the meeting. The United States did not invite South Africa to the ministerial, and Ukraine was not invited either, the Associated Press reported. Some G20 members objected to Russia being invited while its attacks on Ukraine continue. Russia's foreign ministry complained that visas for its delegation were only resolved at the last minute, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

What Washington wants from the meeting

United States officials say their top priority is freedom of navigation, in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea. A State Department official told reporters on Thursday that the meeting would focus on energy and supply chain challenges, which Washington links to the development of artificial intelligence. Rubio has championed the Pax Silica initiative, which aims to unite countries concerned about China's control of rare earths and other critical minerals. The Quad grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia is also due to meet in Atlanta in the coming days.

Why a joint statement looks unlikely

Diplomats and experts told Reuters that the rifts over Ukraine and the Middle East are likely to block any unified statement. The United States wants the group focused on trade imbalances and critical minerals. Many other members put the wars and their economic damage first. Readers should treat the agenda as the plan for the talks, not as an outcome. No negotiated breakthrough had been announced when the meeting opened.