G20 family photo scrapped in Atlanta after European ministers refuse to pose with Russia's Lavrov

The United States has scrapped the traditional group photograph at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta after European officials refused to stand next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The two-day meeting opened on Friday, October 30, 2026, without the picture, a small ceremony that has become a clear sign of how far Washington and its allies have drifted over Russia.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the decision, according to officials familiar with the talks. Two Western officials said more than a third of those attending had threatened to walk out of any photo that included Lavrov. The US side first looked at a compromise of two pictures, one with the Russian minister and one without, before dropping the idea altogether.

A US official said the photo was dropped because some delegations would not take part, and that Washington did not want a ceremonial moment to become a diplomatic distraction.

"The wrong visual signals"

Germany was the most open about its position. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters there would be no family photo showing European partners together with Lavrov. "There is no 'business as usual' with Russia," he said, adding that disagreements should be argued out at the table but that ministers must avoid sending "the wrong visual signals".

Britain said it has a long-standing policy of no direct bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine itself, which is not a G20 member, was not invited to Atlanta.

Lavrov, largely shunned in Western capitals since 2022, is in the US at a moment of unusual warmth between Washington and Moscow. Weeks ago President Donald Trump waived key sanctions and some tariffs on Russia as part of an arrangement letting Moscow export diesel to overseas markets. European governments are angry about that deal, and about pressure to buy more Russian petroleum products.

The G20 has been arguing about Russia since 2022

This is not the first time the group has split over who sits, or stands, with a Russian minister. Here is how the dispute has run.

When	Where	What happened
April 2022	Washington	The US, UK and Canada led walkouts when Russia's finance minister spoke at a G20 finance meeting
July 2022	Bali	Foreign ministers held their talks with no group photo and no joint statement
September 2026	Asheville, North Carolina	Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent invited Anton Siluanov without consulting members; allies including Germany refused to pose, and he was left out of the picture
October 2026	Atlanta	Lavrov attends; the whole photo is cancelled

The difference this time is the host. In 2022 Washington led the protest. In 2026 it invited the Russian delegation, and it was the Europeans who pushed back.

What the ministers are actually meeting about

The State Department says the Atlanta talks are meant to advance the G20's mission of promoting global stability and prosperity. In practice, the wars in Ukraine and Iran are expected to dominate the sessions on Friday and Saturday.

Both matter well beyond the room. The Iran war has cut traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a trickle and pushed up fuel costs for importers from Pakistan to Germany. Russian diesel, now easier to sell under Trump's waiver, is one of the few sources of extra supply, which is why Europe's objection carries an economic edge as well as a moral one.

The bigger test comes in Miami

The Atlanta meeting is a rehearsal for the leaders' summit in December at the Trump National Doral golf club in Miami. Trump has invited Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has not said whether he will accept.

If Putin does come, the question that sank a photo of foreign ministers will return at head-of-government level, with Trump as host. The foreign ministers' sessions continue on Saturday, October 31.