G20 foreign ministers skip 'family' photo amid objections over Russia

Foreign ministers from the G20 have skipped a traditional group photo ahead of their meeting after European and Australian representatives objected to the presence of Russia.

A US official said the State Department had taken the family photo off the official agenda on Friday, US time, because Washington did not want it to become a spectacle or distraction.

A third of the participants, including Australia and Canada, made clear they opposed the idea of being photographed alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they support the decision of the United States as G20 host to cancel the photograph.

"Australia has been clear and consistent: we will not normalise Russia's brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine,"

the statement said.

"Our focus at the G20 remains on the important work before us and addressing the challenges facing the global economy."

European G20 members also back Ukraine, which has objected to US President Donald Trump's recent decisions over Russia, including a deal to buy diesel and waive some sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Milliband explicitly called out Mr Lavrov, saying that "if we are serious about our values and our interests, we must also work harder to secure just and lasting peace in Ukraine".

"An assault not only on Ukraine but on us all — trampling international law, sovereignty and self determination — core principles on which we all depend," he said.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told reporters in Atlanta that, "I am not the only one who does not want to be photographed with Lavrov."

Consensus looks elusive

Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened the talks with an appeal for unity on the issues that threaten international security and trade.

"We are in a critical moment," Mr Rubio told his colleagues.

"We are facing a series of interconnected economic and geopolitical crises."

Mr Rubio pointed to disruptions to global energy and food supplies, trade and freedom of navigation and said many are posing "severe threats to essential foundations of the global economic order".

Yet there was no sign that the G20 diplomats could come to consensus on many of the most contentious issues they faced.

Among them are the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US-Israeli war against Iran, US tariffs and Chinese machinations in the South China Sea. All have contributed to spikes in the global cost of fuel as well as uncertainty about trade.

Diplomats who attended the opening session described it as cordial but said Russia's position on Ukraine was unyielding — as was its opposition to Poland's membership in the G20.

Those disagreements, which also cover the Trump administration's not inviting G20 member South Africa over the objections of others, will likely prevent the foreign ministers from producing a joint communique when the meetings wrap up on Saturday, participants said.

Several participants, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss the closed-door talks, said all had agreed to try to overcome their differences despite the long odds and to work to make next month's G20 leaders summit hosted by Mr Trump in Florida a success.

AP/Reuters