Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s presence at a G20 meeting in the US has angered European diplomats, with several reportedly threatening to boycott a group photo. Germany’s top diplomat, Johann Wadephul, objected to being photographed alongside Lavrov but ended up in the same frame as him.
Lavrov arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday for the two-day gathering, which precedes the G20 leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-December in Florida.
US President Donald Trump has expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit, although Moscow has yet to decide whether to accept the invitation, according to the Kremlin.
Lavrov’s presence at the ministerial meeting has proved particularly contentious for several European delegations, which have opposed Washington’s decision to invite Russian officials.
“There will be no family photo featuring our European partners together with Mr. Lavrov,” Wadephul told reporters, insisting that “we must avoid sending the wrong visual signals.”
According to several media outlets, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio eventually scrapped the traditional group photo after European foreign ministers reportedly refused to stand alongside Lavrov and threatened to walk out.
However, the German minister was unable to avoid appearing in the same frame as his Russian counterpart.
A photograph of the G20’s first plenary session, published Friday on X by DW correspondent Benjamin Alvarez, showed Wadephul casting a sidelong glance at Lavrov.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul looks over to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during the first plenary session of the G20 Foreign Ministers's Meeting in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/Z01xQmpO7A
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova seized on the image, suggesting in a Telegram post that Western journalists had disregarded the German diplomat’s objections by capturing the two ministers together.
Zakharova also pointed out that Wadephul himself had requested a last-minute meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly just a month earlier.
The encounter was their first since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Lavrov later described the discussion as disappointing, saying his German counterpart had merely repeated Berlin’s familiar anti-Russian positions.
The dispute in Atlanta follows earlier European objections to Washington’s decision to restore Russian participation in G20 gatherings.
When Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended G20 talks in late August, becoming the first Russian finance minister to do so since 2022, Trump defended his administration’s approach.
“We like getting along with everybody. One of the reasons I’m so successful, I get along with everybody,” the US president said at the time.
Lavrov last attended a G20 ministerial meeting in September 2025, on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York. Despite Western efforts to isolate Moscow diplomatically, he has maintained an active international schedule, including official visits to countries across Africa and Asia.
The latest gathering also comes ahead of a fourth round of Washington-mediated trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US, expected next month.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Wednesday that European representatives would be excluded from the talks despite their efforts to secure a seat at the negotiating table.
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