Photo: EPA
The G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ended without consensus, including on Russia’s war against Ukraine. The two-day meeting took place in Atlanta on October 30–31, the Associated Press reported.
Rubio said he would release a statement summarizing the talks later on Saturday, October 31. At a closing news conference, he acknowledged that participants remained far from resolving their major disagreements.
“I’m not going to stand here today and pretend to you that we’re close to finding universally acceptable solutions to these problems. But I do think that among the countries represented here at the G20, there are countries working together to address some of them, particularly in the areas of supply chains and critical minerals,” he said.
Rubio described the first day of the meeting as “very productive.” On Saturday, ahead of the closing G20 event, he held separate talks with the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan. Discussions on supply chains included freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea.
“I made it clear to our partners that secure supply chains are essential for growth. Critical trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, must remain safe and open to commerce. And we must continue to strengthen and expand critical mineral supply chains to protect our future,” Rubio said.
At a reception for G20 participants on Friday evening, he struck a more optimistic tone, speaking of shaping the future together.
“Together, I think we are creating a bright, dynamic and bold economic future that will open new horizons for the entire world,” he said.
Rubio opened the talks on Friday by calling for unity but later canceled the traditional group photo of foreign ministers. European diplomats objected to the participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and threatened to boycott the photo or walk out while it was being taken.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he was not surprised that the meeting had failed to reach consensus. He was representing Poland at a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting for the first time as an invited participant.
“We have wars going on, and the parties to those wars are sitting at the table, so agreeing on a common position is very difficult,” he told reporters.
Other participants, speaking on condition of anonymity, said delegations had agreed to try to overcome their differences despite limited prospects for success. They also agreed to work toward a successful G20 leaders’ summit, which US President Donald Trump is due to host in Florida.
The diplomats said a chair’s statement had been planned instead of a joint communiqué because of deep divisions among participants. These included Russia’s war against Ukraine, the US-Israeli war against Iran, US tariffs and China’s actions in the South China Sea. All these factors have contributed to fluctuations in global fuel prices and greater uncertainty in trade.
The opening session was described by the diplomats as cordial. However, they said Russia remained unyielding on Ukraine and opposed Poland’s membership in the G20. Disagreements also arose over the Trump administration’s decision not to invite South Africa, a G20 member. Other participants objected to the move.
Before the meeting, some G20 countries had expressed concern about the US invitation to Russia amid Moscow’s intensified attacks on Ukraine. Relations between Washington and Kyiv had deteriorated following Trump’s decision not to impose new sanctions on Moscow and to temporarily restrict logistical and intelligence support for Ukraine. However, on October 30, the US State Department approved a potential $2.1 billion sale of Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine.
Lavrov said Moscow would not allow a situation in which Ukraine posed a “military threat to the legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation.” Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and Western countries imposed sweeping sanctions, Lavrov has made only occasional visits to NATO countries.
It remains unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept Trump’s invitation to the December summit at his golf club in Miami.
Rubio has previously said he would not rule out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attending the G20 summit in Florida, although no official announcement has been made. He explained Lavrov’s presence at the Atlanta meeting as necessary to maintain communication with both sides of the war, arguing that engaging with Moscow did not legitimize its crimes or imply support for its aggression.
Sikorski also called for an early ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure safe grain shipments from Ukraine and Russia. He said swift action was needed to address food security concerns in countries of the Global South. He stressed that Ukraine and Europe must be involved in efforts to end Russia’s invasion and said the resumption of Russian energy exports to Europe should come only after a just end to the war.
