G20 foreign ministers' group photo cancelled in Atlanta after protests over Lavrov

The United States has cancelled a planned group photo at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta after several European delegations objected to being photographed alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The decision was taken on Friday as the hosts sought to avoid a public dispute overshadowing the talks. The meeting is being hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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Two US officials confirmed the cancellation, saying some delegations were unwilling to take part in the joint picture. One US official said the photo was dropped after it became clear that participation would not be universal. The official said the aim was to prevent a ceremonial moment from becoming a diplomatic distraction and to keep attention on the substance of the discussions.

Rubio opened the meeting by saying he hoped for a productive session. The row reflects the continuing strain inside the G20 over Russia's war in Ukraine and the wider diplomatic fallout from the conflict. Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the cancellation was the right decision, adding that he was not the only one who did not want to be photographed with Lavrov.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said there was no normality with Russia, while also arguing that the controversies should be addressed at the table rather than through false optimism. A British diplomatic source said the UK had a longstanding policy of not having direct bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine. The cancellation also underlines how the war continues to shape multilateral diplomacy well beyond the battlefield.

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Ukraine is not a G20 member and was not invited to this meeting, but its absence and the presence of Lavrov have sharpened sensitivities among European governments. The dispute comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Kyiv this month, including a diplomatic standoff between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over Ukrainian strikes on oil infrastructure inside Russia. The G20 brings together the world's largest economies, and its meetings are often used to project a degree of diplomatic normality even when relations are strained.

In this case, that symbolism proved difficult to sustain. The planned photo would normally have included representatives from all delegations present, making the cancellation itself a visible sign of division. It also comes as some G20 countries have already questioned Russia's invitation amid intensified attacks on Ukraine.

The meeting is taking place against a wider backdrop of shifting US-Russia relations and continuing disagreement among allies over how to respond to Moscow. The supplied reports say relations between Washington and Moscow have partially thawed in recent weeks, while Ukraine and its European partners have criticised US moves that they say ease pressure on Russia. Those tensions have added to the sensitivity around any public appearance involving Lavrov.

The cancellation therefore carries significance beyond the photo itself, because it shows how protocol can become a proxy for deeper political disputes. What remains unclear is whether the disagreement over the photo will affect the substance of the G20 talks or any joint language that may emerge later. The immediate focus is on the foreign ministers' discussions in Atlanta and whether the divisions exposed by the cancellation spill into the rest of the meeting.