US cancels G20 ‘family photo’ after Australia, UK and others refuse to appear with Russia
The United States cancelled the traditional G20 family photo at the foreign ministers meeting in Atlanta after Australia, the UK, and other European nations threatened a boycott over the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. About one-third of the attending countries objected to being pictured alongside the Russian diplomat, prompting the host nation to scrap the photo-op entirely. During the summit, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confronted his Russian counterpart directly, accusing Moscow of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
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- ✓ The United States cancelled the G20 family photo in Atlanta after Australia, the UK, and other nations refused to appear with Russia.
- ✓ Roughly one-third of the countries attending the foreign ministers meeting threatened a boycott over the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
- ✓ UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confronted his Russian counterpart at the meeting and accused his government of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
What changed
The United States pulled the plug on the traditional G20 photo session after roughly a third of participating countries threatened to boycott the picture over the presence of Russia's foreign minister.
Live updates
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US Cancels G20 Photo After Allies Boycott Russia
The United States cancelled the traditional G20 family photo at the foreign ministers meeting in Atlanta after Australia, the UK, and other European nations threatened a boycott over the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. About one-third of the attending countries objected to being pictured alongside the Russian diplomat, prompting the host nation to scrap the photo-op entirely. During the summit, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confronted his Russian counterpart directly, accusing Moscow of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
Why it matters
The diplomatic standoff highlights persistent global divisions over the war in Ukraine, even at multilateral economic summits. Host nation officials faced an impossible scheduling compromise as Western allies refused any visual association with Moscow representatives. The incident underscores how ongoing geopolitical conflicts continue to disrupt standard diplomatic protocols and group appearances at international forums.
What is confirmed
- The United States cancelled the G20 family photo in Atlanta after Australia, the UK, and other nations refused to appear with Russia.
- Roughly one-third of the countries attending the foreign ministers meeting threatened a boycott over the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
- UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confronted his Russian counterpart at the meeting and accused his government of killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
What to watch next
- Whether participating nations issue joint statements addressing the diplomatic friction
- Further bilateral confrontations between Western officials and the Russian delegation in Atlanta
confidence 100%Sources used for this update (17)
- www.dailymail.com — UK Home | Daily Mail Online
- www.theguardian.com — AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton: ‘We’re creating alien beings. I’m willing to be selfish and choose humans’ | Donald Trump
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — G20 summit to come to Atlanta, impacting traffic and bringing economic attention
- BBC — G20 'family photo' cancelled after protests over presence of Russian minister
- The New York Times — Distaste for Russian Diplomat Forces U.S. to Cancel Photo Session in Atlanta
- CNN — G20 photo scrapped amid tensions over Russian foreign minister’s presence
- Yahoo — US scraps G20 photo after European diplomats object to being pictured with Russia's Lavrov
- PBS — WATCH: Rubio welcomes G20 foreign ministers to Atlanta at 'critical moment'
- The Guardian — US cancels G20 ‘family photo’ after Australia, UK and others refuse to appear with Russia
- The Guardian — Ukraine war briefing: Moscow’s Lavrov snubbed at G20 in Atlanta
- Reuters — G20 foreign ministers skip photo-op amid objections over Russia
- www.thenews.com.pk — SpaceX fires all 33 engines on super heavy booster 22 in Starship flight 15 test
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