European ministers refused to take a photo with Lavrov
At the G20 meeting in Atlanta, European foreign ministers refused to take a group photo with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul explained this by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
European ministers refused to take a photo with Lavrov. According to DW, Wadephul stressed that relations with Russia have not returned to business as usual.
"There are no normal relations with Russia," the German Foreign Minister said.
According to him, dialogue with Moscow is necessary to discuss disagreements. However, such contacts should not create the impression that relations have returned to their previous state.
According to AFP, the traditional group photo session was canceled after European representatives objected to taking a picture together with Lavrov.
Wadephul also stated that he once again called on Moscow to accept Kyiv's ceasefire proposal. In his view, a truce must first be reached in the Black Sea.
The meeting held on October 30 is taking place under the US presidency. Lavrov was invited to participate in it by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The German Foreign Minister also supported resolving the tensions around Iran through diplomatic means. Stating that the problem cannot be solved by military means, he called for an end to the restrictions on ship navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.