G20 foreign ministers to end Atlanta meeting without consensus on key issues

• Rather than issuing a joint communiqué, the gathering will release a chairman’s statement summarizing the discussions led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Rubio cancelled the customary group photograph after European diplomats objected to the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Updated 4 min 9 sec ago

October 31, 2026 09:22

ATLANTA: Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies wrapped up two days of talks in Atlanta on Saturday without reaching consensus on several critical global security issues. Divisions, especially over Russia’s war with Ukraine, overshadowed the start of the meeting.

As a result, the group will not issue a joint communiqué but will rely on a chairman’s statement summarizing the talks, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio will release at the conclusion, according to diplomats who attended.

Rubio, who opened the discussions calling for unity, had cancelled the traditional group photo of the foreign ministers on Friday after European diplomats objected to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s inclusion and threatened to boycott the snapshot that often opens such gatherings.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, representing his country for the first time as a guest at a G20 meeting, said he was not surprised by the failure to reach consensus.

“We have wars going on, and we have participants in those wars around the table, so it’s very difficult to agree on a common line,” he told reporters.

Other participants, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all agreed to try to overcome their differences despite the long odds and to make next month’s G20 leaders summit hosted by President Donald Trump in Florida a success.

These diplomats said a chairman’s statement had long been planned because of deep divisions among attendees, including over the Russia‑Ukraine conflict, the US‑Israeli war against Iran, US tariffs and Chinese actions in the South China Sea. All have contributed to spikes in the global cost of fuel as well as uncertainty about trade.

They described the opening session as cordial but said Russia’s stance on Ukraine is unyielding — as is its opposition to Poland’s membership in the G20. The disagreements also include the Trump administration’s decision not to invite G20 member South Africa over objections from others.

Russia’s presence at the G20 gathering ruffles European nerves.

Some G20 countries had already expressed concern that the US invited Russia during its heightened attacks on Ukraine, especially after Trump pushed ties with Ukraine to new lows by waiving fresh sanctions on Moscow and temporarily limiting logistical and intelligence assistance.

However, the State Department announced Friday that it had approved a proposed $2.1 billion sale of Patriot air‑defence interceptors for Ukraine.

Lavrov said Moscow will not allow a situation in which Ukraine poses a “military threat to legitimate security interests of the Russian Federation.”

Lavrov has traveled only infrequently to NATO member states since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and resulting severe sanctions were imposed on Moscow, and it is unclear if Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept Trump’s invitation to attend the G20 leaders summit at his Miami golf club in December.

The Iran war hangs over the G20 event.

The US has said a top priority for the meeting is resolving differences over issues related to freedom of navigation, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the South China Sea. The topic will include discussions on Iran, Russia‑Ukraine and China and its smaller neighbours.

But hanging over the meeting is the prospect of new US military intervention in Iran, which has put the region, including G20 member Saudi Arabia, on edge. Rubio met on the sidelines with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country has been a key mediator.

The Associated Press has reported that US officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military strikes against Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections and the possibility that Iran will retaliate against them.

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