G20 'family photo' cancelled after protests over presence of Russian minister
European foreign ministers refused to be pictured with Sergei Lavrov at the summit being held in Atlanta.
The G20 'family photo' was called off after protests over the presence of Russian minister
European diplomats declined to pose for an official photo with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the US, prompting the American hosts to cancel the planned image.
Two officials told the BBC that the so-called family photo, set for Friday morning and normally featuring representatives from all the countries present, had been cancelled.
The meeting, which brings together senior diplomats from the world's largest economies, is being held in Atlanta and hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ukraine is not a G20 member, but it has been invited to similar gatherings in recent years. This time, however, Ukraine was not invited.
Tensions between Ukraine and the US have been especially high this month, following a diplomatic standoff between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over Kyiv's strikes on oil infrastructure inside Russia.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is attending, and a diplomatic source confirmed the UK was among the countries that refused to take part in the photo.
One British official said: "The UK has a longstanding policy not to have direct, bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine and we are not about to change that".
A US official said the photo was cancelled "after it became clear some of the delegations were unwilling to participate in a joint photo".
"Rather than allow a ceremonial photo opportunity to become a diplomatic distraction, the US decided to forgo the photo and keep the focus on the substantive discussions," the official said.
Unlike the situation with Ukraine, relations between the US and Russia appear to have partly improved in recent weeks, as Trump lifted some sanctions and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the American market.
The move comes as Trump seeks to bring down fuel prices in the US ahead of mid-term elections at the start of November, after months dealing with the political fallout of the Iran war.
Ukraine and its European allies have strongly criticised Trump's deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky called it "a gift" to Putin that amounts to "an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged".
Trump said his decision to suspend several Russian sanctions is intended to keep Moscow at the negotiating table in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin has said Russia, which imposed a ban on diesel exports earlier this year, is prepared to supply both the US and global markets with oil and petroleum products.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and now controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
In recent weeks, Moscow has stepped up its deadly missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.